Cherryl's Story...

{ I am thankful to my mom for sharing her story, which I have posted below.  To add the story behind her story - through my eyes, my mom is an angel, always giving, always giving. She and my dad, after going through some of the most devastating life events you could experience as a woman and as  parents, they made the decision to love again, and to adopt my brother and I in 1983 when I was 2 and my brother, Brian, was 4. We were two orphans from South Korea, abandoned on the streets and found by the police. To my mom (and dad as well), we were the children she was always meant to have, given to her by God and an unknown woman who gave away what she was never meant to keep.  My mom gave us a home, a family, and the blessing of unconditional love. Not until recently--after much searching, and after I became  a mother myself--could I wrap my heart around the bigness of what she did and who she is. I do not know where a woman gains the strength to sacrifice what it takes to adopt a child, let alone two, from literally, the other side of the world, and love us without condition. I pray to grow my love, and forgiveness, to the heights my mother has shown to me. }

I am Woman, Hear me Roar! First and foremost I am a woman, after that wife, mother, grandmother, caregiver, builder and homemaker. One says that “ home maker” is a meaningless job, but I don’t think so, imagine how many hats a home maker wears!

{my mom, Cherryl (yes, that's two r's), is the mini-Shirley Temple there on the left } 

My life’s vocation was that of a Radiographic Technologist. Maybe that’s where the caregiver comes in since I have always put other people before me, at least I think so, because by being a wife and mother, care giving is first in your life.

I also love to create things, from good dinners to plants blooming and of course my crafts, which really help me to beat my stress level. The idea of creating something with my own hands leaves me with a feeling of greatness, not God great, but people great.

The greatest accomplishment in my life are my children - to see what they have become is a true joy. First as adults, then partners, and now parents. Life’s full circle is complete. I hope that this gives you a sense of who I am, what I have become, and how I live my life.

{ Joey, Danny, Addy, Me, Brian, Sun, and not in the photo is Cherryl's newest grandson, Ethan }

Cherryl is currently living her story, prodigiously taking care of her husband who recently suffered a back injury, as well as their home and their very loved and spoiled dog, Bailey. The trio reside in MI. 

Bree's Story...

{ I confess my bias...Bree is my sister-in-law - my sister in life, in motherhood, and beyond... Thank you Bree for sharing, you know I love you }

Beyond Mom?  Really?  Hmm, let’s see…who am I?

Of course, beyond a mom, I'm a wife, daughter, sister, friend and co-worker.

But beyond that, I'm a creative junkie.  I scrapbook, blog, draw, color, make photobooks, create invitations, take crazy amounts of pictures…I do whatever I can do in any capacity to be creative.

I am a Creative Junkie.  

But that's not what I feel defines me.  

So what makes me tick?

INSPIRATION. 

I am an inspiration-seeker, and I find it everywhere.  I find it in my family & friends and their amazing accomplishments.  Just the same, I find it in strangers. I find it in dancing children dressed in footie pjs.  I find it in my husband's eyes.  I find it moments of peace and in chaos.  I find it in celebrations of life and love.  I find it in nature and all of its beauty.  I find it in my journey of faith and in God.  

I find it in all of the places that make up exactly who I am as a mom and beyond...and then I find ways to capture it. 

My inspiration-seeking has now led me to photography, with which I am now obsessed.  Ok, confused and obsessed...and in love.  And of course, inspired.  CLICK!

Oddly enough, the picture of this little bug is the perfect example of why I've fallen in love with this new “inspiration-capturer”.  Sure, it's the first grasshopper my son, Grant, has ever caught.  And yes, that's definitely a cool thing to catch in a picture.  Beyond that though, it's the story behind the picture that I love so much.

When you look at Grant's hands, you can see how little he is; how he hasn't quite outgrown his chubby baby-style fingers.  At the same time though, you can see how much he's maturing just by how gently he's handling the grasshopper (last summer, that poor insect would have been smashed into a glob of goo out of pure excitement).  It's like you can literally see Grant's little-big-kid curiosity in just his hands alone.  So cool, isn't it?   

It's a different way of looking at life through still shots.  The right picture really does tell a story...and surprisingly, the subject of the story doesn't always have to have a face or a background full of details.  Just fingers and a new bug friend.

My pictures aren’t great – they’re all kind of messed up from a photography standpoint, but I’m learning.  It gets really overwhelming when I learn more about how much I don’t know.  But it seems that when I’m in a rut, I capture just one, fleeting moment that kicks my inspiration back into high gear…

…and I fall in love all over again.




Bree lives with her husband and their two wondrously goofy kids in IL. She recently joined a community of other ClickinMoms. And make sure to check out her photo blog...once her courage clicks and the time is right for her to share it. 

Ponder this...

Take away fear and embarrassment. Now, how would you live your life?


{just try this:  ponder a minute. scribble out a word. jot down a phrase. draw a picture. if it leads you somewhere - follow. that small part of you will thank you for it.} 

Mira's Story

{Hooray! Our first contributor! Thanks for sharing, Mira.} 


I am a knitter.  You can see me knitting on the T, in line, at the doctor's office, on my lunch hour, when I watch TV, walking around. Pretty much anytime I'm not actively doing something else with my hands, I'm kitting. I knit because I hate the idea of just sitting and not doing anything when I could be being productive. I knit because I love the feel of yarn in my hands – wool, alpaca, cashmere, linen, bulky, lace-weight, worsted weight.  



I love the mental challenge of complicated lace or cables, and the relaxation of a simple stockinette, garter, or rib.   I knit for me, for family and friends, photo samples for designers. It doesn’t really matter what I’m knitting or for whom, it’s as much a part of me as walking or picking up a fork.  

Definitely one of the most challenging aspects of motherhood for me has been, literally, having my hands full, and not being able to knit nearly as much as I had before. It’s definitely part of why I babywear, and now that my son is a little more independent, one of my favorite things to do is sit with him on the floor while he plays with his toys and I knit. It lets me have some "me" time while still being present with him, which is definitely win-win!

Mira lives in Massachusetts with her husband and her little guy, Jesse. Check out her blogs: Mamas and Milk, and, Mira's Knits.

Beyond being a mom, I am...

Are you wondering what you might want to submit? Not sure where to start? Think you don't have anything worth saying? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gotcha. Believe me, I have been there. I was there. Still am there - chipping my way out of insecurity with a nervous pen and, well, a couple blogs.


So, let's just first establish this, shall we?


You, yes you, absolutely have something important to say. You have a story, a secret, that only you know - so only you can tell it. And if you can believe it, there's other moms who actually want to hear it, know it, cry with you about it, celebrate and dance with you about it. Seriously. Sounds crazy but it's true.


Okay, now that we're on the same page, here's a blip of inspiration to get those 'ole introspective wheels a-turnin' (maybe it's been a while?)


Ready?
Okay quick.


Don't think too hard just go.


How would you complete this sentence? Beyond being a mom, I am...


In the comment box below, write whatever bubbles to the surface first.








[see...that wasn't so bad, was it?]

Beyond Moms: Submit Your Story

Share Your Beyond Mom Story
You and I, we are moms. We pass each other everywhere - at the playground, school, doctor's office, grocery store aisle, you name it. But it's just so hard to get beyond mom. After we've exhausted comparing diaper brand notes and school options, it's time to go. But what about you? What about me? We are each something more, but rarely do we get a chance to share it.


You and I, we are moms. We love our children. We love our families. But being a mother is not the whole of who we are.


Beyond Moms is a place for you, mama, to share your personal story of who you are "beyond mom" and connect with other moms on a deeper, more honest level.


So tell us - what is the story you really wish you could tell the world about yourself? What do you love to do? Dream to do? Are dying to do? Who were you before you were a mom and who are you beyond being a mom? Like most mothers, you probably haven't given yourself the time, space, or permission to ask yourself those long buried questions. So here's your chance. Please try. Dig deep. And once you think you've reached your raw soul - dig deeper. That's where the good stuff is.


How to Submit
Just share your honest story about what lives in your space beyond mom, however you want to tell it, in about 600 words or less and email to: beyondmomsblog@gmail.com. If less means a photo and a few lines - great! I will happily post whatever you have to offer.


Maybe your story is about something you've already done, or want to do, or can't bring yourself to try. Maybe it's about what motherhood has taught you about yourself and the world. Perhaps your story is about what you haven't yet discovered. Whatever it is, we want to hear about it. Aside from the word count, there are no rules, and certainly no judge or jury.


If you have photos, blog or website links, or other writings or excerpts that help to tell your Beyond Mom story, send those too. I will post your story and links on this blog.


Be courageous! Be daring! Be yourself and - share.

Welcome All Moms

We are mothers. Absolutely. And those lovely cannonball miracles we call our children soak up nearly the whole of us. Our love. Our patience. Our brain cells, even. We had more of those at one point or another. Or so we’d like to think.


But. There is a space. You know the one. That forgotten space.
That once upon a time space.
That maybe
someday
one day
I can…


space.


It appears small. It appears far. But every once in a while – during that late steering grip drive home, or through restless midnight window dreams – you go to that space...beyond. Then fill it.


The question is – with what?


So. I want to know. What fills, no, correction –


What fulfills your


space
beyond


mom


?