Sacred Space

           One Christmas when the girls were school age and we were just the three of us, I came up with what I knew were preciously imaginative gifts for Sarah and Amanda. In fact they were so imaginative for me that I almost did not follow through on putting them together for fear that I might stress myself out trying to top them the next year or continue with consistently creative ideas from then on. But these were too good to pass up – so I decided to explain that they were once in a lifetime gifts – the thoughts that created them were at the end of a road, not a new and continuing lifelong path.

            These particular gifts could not be wrapped and put under a tree – would the girls notice that there were not so many presents Christmas morning and be disappointed? And how was I going to distract them long enough to put each idea together in its respective place? Well, I did not have to worry about the secrecy or the surprise – everything fell into place perfectly.

            The idea I had for Sarah was to create a reading corner for her bedroom. She already had the area between her bed and the window declared her sacred space where she would go to read or just have some privacy. But this was so narrow and barren-seeming. The corner, however, just past the bed and the window, made a nice little area that could be for both privacy or for sharing with a sister or a Mom or both from time to time. I got Sarah a beanbag chair and a floor lamp and some pillows and afghans. The look made for a cozy reading corner.

            Now something I might not have mentioned before about Amanda is that she has always been teaching! When she came home from day care or school, she would set up her stuffed animals and dolls as her own special class, and Bodie would repeat everything she had heard from her teachers that day! So for Amanda's Christmas gift the year of my especial creativity, I went to the guest room downstairs and put a dry erase board on the wall at Bodie's level. And I purchased an old school desk from an antique shop. With a few markers and Merry Christmas! message on the board, the place was set – Amanda had her own classroom!

Amanda's Desk

            On Christmas morning, and I don't remember now how I got Sarah's corner together without her knowing – I might have asked the girls to eat breakfast in the sunroom while I wrapped some last minute gifts – but when everything was ready, I walked each girl to her respective new space – and they were so delighted! Books were soon strewn about the reading corner in Sarah's room, and dolls and stuffed animals were seated around Amanda's classroom.

            Today Virginia and Horatio's room is all reading corner – books everywhere – I read somewhere that books are not clutter, and truer words were never espoused! Today Amanda teaches piano and is married to Tony who is in school to be a teacher. For all of them their space is now the world! Knowing this - what a wonderful gift for a Mom.

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