Tuesday, December 30, 2008

My favoritest things

For Christmas last year, my mom had gotten me this shadow box. Since I had to fly back to the city, I didn't take it with me because anything glass I take on a plane always ends up broken. This year, since we drove up to Rochester, I was able to bring it back to the city with me. Tonight, I filled it with all of my favorite things from childhood. It made me really miss my mom.

My two favorite books, There's a Monster at the End of This Book and The Velveteen Rabbit. A picture of my mom holding me when I was an infant, a little ceramic mermaid that was hers and she gave to me when I was a kid, and a little wooden elephant, ditto. The centerpiece, however, is a stuffed animal named Pixie. Probably the only thing I have left over from my father (it was his when he was a boy, I'm told), with whom I rarely, if ever, speak, Pixie sat on my shelf until one day, I looked at him, picked him up, and didn't put him down again. He's gone everywhere with me: high school sleepovers, college, the Bronx, and now Manhattan. You can see all the stitching where his fabric wore through and my mom had to sew him back up, and you can see how squashed his nose is from me holding him against me. His bow tie is moments away from disintegrating. He used to be a color, but I cannot for the life of me remember which one. Now, he's in this box with my other favorite things, hanging on my bedroom wall, across from my bed so I can look up at him whenever I want. I might not be able to cuddle him anymore, but I think for his own health, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

After spending so many months making things for other people, it was nice to put something together for myself. It's a nice craft for women to do with their mothers after they've grown and moved away. because even though you're all growed up, you're still your mother's baby.

4 comments:

Kate said...

What a precious idea! The only thing you left out was a side of bacon.

PrincessPi said...

I've actually been considering doing another shadowbox entirely devoted to bacon. A bacon shrine if you will. I will place it in the kitchen above the table and burn bacon-scented incense and candles around it in worship of the bacon gods.

Anonymous said...

I remember that stuffed toy. It did belong to your father when he was a little boy, and I used to play with it every summer that I went to Grandma's house, but she would never let me take it home. How precious that you still have it.

PrincessPi said...

Holy Shitballs, Amber!? My cousin Amber? Dude, you totally have to email me. It's this format: lastnamefirstname@gmail.com.

Please email me?