Leslee Nelson
The New Day
Saris, hand-dyed embroidery floss, gold thread, cigar box from Lisa.
My daughter Riah and her husband came to visit for Spring Break.
They were here to keep us safe during Shelter-in-Place. They went
to the store and did all the cooking. They are excellent cooks and
made wonderful dinners. They also rearranged the cupboards and
ordered cooking equipment they liked. As I stayed out of their way,
it brought up little frictions leading to irritations and memories of
conflicts from her childhood.
I began stitching pillow covers for our sofa from several saris I’d
bought in India. I used a repetitive running stitch called Kantha in
India. It was soothing and meditative. I made nine.
The underlying tensions broke into a yelling fight in June. Kaylee,
our younger daughter was visiting that week. She became the
mediator. Riah and I sat on the couch (covered in sari pillows) on
each side of her as she guided the conversation. Riah and I were
able to finally recognize the patterns and issues of years-old conflict.
It was like a new dawn. Riah and I found a deeper understanding and
let go of our misinterpretations and resentments. Kaylee was brilliant.
Riah and I found resolution. It was transformative.
This was my most treasured moment from Covid Summer.
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