Thank you so much for this 🥹 I love your voice, & the imagery- I could see, smell, touch, & feel every moment! & the amount of crying I did while reading this- you have done a lot of work in your inner emotional garden as well, & it comes through so strong. And I want to say that even though I do not know you (yet)- I feel compelled to say that I am so proud of you. The amount of love & nuance you articulate here is one that has been nurtured & watered dutifully, and I can feel the pruning & awareness that you applied through each revision & the layers of emotional processing you did in your inner emotional garden (even though this piece does not show the process work- the intentionality & artistry echoes to create such an unconditionally loving piece that embodies all the seasons you have weathered within.) I cannot wait for your whole book if this is but an excerpt. Muchas gracias again for sharing your (& your mother’s) story & I look forward to reading & seeing more from you!
This is lovely. Thank you for sharing your story. My Mom, too, used to garden. I've never been even vaguely tempted, despite loving the same vegetables she used to grow. All I can think is that there'll be bugs. And there's little I can imagine more terrifying than having an insect crawl on me.
I lived & taught in Jesus de Otoro, Honduras for a year. One of the best years of my life.
Oh this is beautiful. I found my way here through a note about you being a visual artist, and of course that makes perfect sense, art always seems to me to be about the way we see, about where we choose to place our attention, and this piece does exactly that. There’s something in here, too, about home not only as people, but as the place where we put our hands on the earth, where memory and presence meet. Beautifully written, thank you so much .
Strong & soft. Beautiful & painful. Resigned and wanting. Ending and beginning. Proud and doubtful. Big and little. Moving and paralyzing. Triumphant and vanquished. Deeply impactful.
Vanessa, this is such a powerful piece. As someone who had a complicated relationship with my own mother, it really resonated. I, too, have been slowly working on and healing my relationship with my mother although she passed five years ago. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing this. I felt I could breathe so deeply in your descriptions of being immersed in nature - in being outdoors. I too have found peace and solace and healing in this. Wishing you well and for the peace you deserve.
This is really beautiful, Vanessa. It brought me to tears. Thank you for doing the work of excavation and sharing with us. I used to lose my coat all the time as a kid and was berated by my mother the same way you were with the shoes. Very painful. It was cathartic to read your work. And your feeling for and writings about nature are healing and gorgeous—what a great counterpoint.
Thank you so much for this 🥹 I love your voice, & the imagery- I could see, smell, touch, & feel every moment! & the amount of crying I did while reading this- you have done a lot of work in your inner emotional garden as well, & it comes through so strong. And I want to say that even though I do not know you (yet)- I feel compelled to say that I am so proud of you. The amount of love & nuance you articulate here is one that has been nurtured & watered dutifully, and I can feel the pruning & awareness that you applied through each revision & the layers of emotional processing you did in your inner emotional garden (even though this piece does not show the process work- the intentionality & artistry echoes to create such an unconditionally loving piece that embodies all the seasons you have weathered within.) I cannot wait for your whole book if this is but an excerpt. Muchas gracias again for sharing your (& your mother’s) story & I look forward to reading & seeing more from you!
Thank you for seeing me & for your thoughtfulness. Truly.
This is lovely. Thank you for sharing your story. My Mom, too, used to garden. I've never been even vaguely tempted, despite loving the same vegetables she used to grow. All I can think is that there'll be bugs. And there's little I can imagine more terrifying than having an insect crawl on me.
I lived & taught in Jesus de Otoro, Honduras for a year. One of the best years of my life.
There’s definitely a lot of bugs involved. Ha! Thank you for reading & commenting.
Oh this is beautiful. I found my way here through a note about you being a visual artist, and of course that makes perfect sense, art always seems to me to be about the way we see, about where we choose to place our attention, and this piece does exactly that. There’s something in here, too, about home not only as people, but as the place where we put our hands on the earth, where memory and presence meet. Beautifully written, thank you so much .
Thank you for reading & for leaving such a thoughtful response.
Strong & soft. Beautiful & painful. Resigned and wanting. Ending and beginning. Proud and doubtful. Big and little. Moving and paralyzing. Triumphant and vanquished. Deeply impactful.
Vanessa, this is such a powerful piece. As someone who had a complicated relationship with my own mother, it really resonated. I, too, have been slowly working on and healing my relationship with my mother although she passed five years ago. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading & sharing your story! Appreciate you!
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing this. I felt I could breathe so deeply in your descriptions of being immersed in nature - in being outdoors. I too have found peace and solace and healing in this. Wishing you well and for the peace you deserve.
Thank you for reading & sharing how it landed in your body.
This is really beautiful, Vanessa. It brought me to tears. Thank you for doing the work of excavation and sharing with us. I used to lose my coat all the time as a kid and was berated by my mother the same way you were with the shoes. Very painful. It was cathartic to read your work. And your feeling for and writings about nature are healing and gorgeous—what a great counterpoint.
Thank you for reading & sharing. I appreciate you!