What We Make, And What Remains
gestures, marks, memory and meaning
Hello good reader,
Last week’s Meditation on Mark Making continues…1
…with a gesture from the garden and stitches on a dress…
and hands in emergent soil.
Earth draws with sticks in ice, and we create with fingers in soil and fiber,
and markings on a page in the newspaper, waiting for breakfast when we are old…
…and on construction paper, learning how to express what we experience when we are young.2
Sister’s fingers do needlepoint and play bridge;
Sister’s fingers spin wool and sew the self.3
It’s not just women’s hands that make, but how easily their impact is overlooked.
All of our hands are stunning mark-makers and don’t you just love the wrinkles of our knuckles and the way our fingers move?.4
A group of women who write express with words;
Children at play express with action.
We care for ourselves,
and explore the world together.
But not all marks are visible.
What if we payed closer attention to gesture and the energy we exude?
What if it is the process, the act of being in a moment, that persists long after we are gone and not the actual marks themselves?
The Earth’s glorious creations in ice exist and will melt, whether I witness them or not.
I am so curious about this idea of a gesture, though, the fleeting touch of fingers on frozen water or a hand dancing in late afternoon light.5
With gratitude for you being you,
Lyn
Speaking of un-noticed marks, it would be exciting to have more people join our small community of wondering wanderers on Substack. I’m almost at 300 subscribers - - please share with family and friends if you think they’d appreciate 13 Tons of Love in their lives!
You have no idea how excited I was to wake up yesterday to frost on the windshield and ice in the field. I thought winter was over, but was gifted one more day to explore Earth’s frozen water markings.
This creation by my great-niece arrived in the mail yesterday. Oh, the joy of a real letter…and the magic of a child’s first drawings.
This gift inspired this post…a complete rework of what I had planned on writing this week, but I’m so glad I hung out with Lupine’s drawing. Isn’t it cool how the shadows of the branches create their own additional markings on the page?
A true collaboration with the Earth. Happy Earth Month, everyone.
I come from a family of makers…people who do needlework, garden, spin, knit, write, make photographs. For multiple generations, that’s what we’ve been doing.
Why is it such a big deal when a man rests quietly in his garden, cares for a child or makes dinner? When a woman does the same thing, it is hardly noticed. Nonetheless, for all the hoopla about leaving a lasting legacy, I’d say there’s nothing more beautiful than a gentle touch.
This is a bit of a ramble, but hands have always fascinated me, especially how they evolve over time. I love the juxtaposition of my mother-in-laws hand about to pick out the tiny starfish from the pile held by one of her sons or grandchildren. I can’t tell.
Of course, I’ll always be in love with a child’s mark-makings as they attempt to make sense of the world in whatever forms that sense-making may take. And when they are mailed to you and arrive in the PO Box, well, that’s a slam dunk.
💕🤲❤️💕🫶❤️