I had planned on making 2 bowls out of clay in the shape of the third graders hands,

but then when I tried to turn the bowls out of the mold the hands broke into several pieces.  So I was in a panic.  I called Mary, my cousin, and explained that I was sorry but I would not be able to finish these bowls for the PTO auction the following Saturday.  Nothing like waiting till the last-minute.

What a puzzle!

With Marys help we were able to put all of the hands back together to make 30 individual hands.  Then to the kiln for firing.  A couple of days later Mary came back to help me glaze them and back in to the kiln they went.

Now What?

I thought ok…. a mosaic.  What can I do with thirty broken hands.  How am I ever going to
make it look good.  I mean, especially for an Auction.  I found a board in my She Shack that was already cut.  It was about 4’x 18″and had a fish drawn on it.  Of course, I took it from another project I was thinking about.  I laid out my idea.  A flower pot with the saying “Growing Knowledge One Hand at a Time” with the hands being the flowers.  After,  laying the whole thing out, I snapped a quick picture and sent it to Morgan, my daughter.

No one will buy that…

is what Morgan told me.  It is too unorganized.  You need to keep thinking about it.  Heart break…I had been working on the placement for several hours so that each hand had the special place on the board.  “Okay” was all I said and turned the lights off on my shed and walked out.

I took a second look a the design laid out.

The problem was there wasn’t enough space to make it work.  Thirty pottery hands looked crazy coming from the pot I had created.  I could cut another board to make it work or needed a new design.

The next morning I woke up with a new design.

This is what I call divine intervention.   I know that all my gifts are from above.  I also know that God speaks to me in my sleep.  Whenever, I am in a quandary.  I always sleep on it because the answers miraculously appear in my mind in the morning.  I am not going to go as far as to say all my problems are solved but I will say, I always have clarity.

Just a tree.

A large grand tree with the third graders hands as leaves.  There is enough room to make this design and with Marys help we can make it happen.

Final note…

Don’t give up. Keep working through whatever you are doing.  Things may turn out better than you may have imagined. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or for an opinion.  There are people in your life that are willing to help if you ask.  And remember to always thank those who have helped you on your journey.

Thank you…

Mary for your help and friendship.  Sarah for allowing me to be apart of this project and to Morgan for always being brutally honest.  Last but not least to James for building me the She Shack and allowing me to enjoy it. Love you all!!!!

And to Brooke for teaching me how to get around in this program.  I am so computer illiterate.