Hello!
It's been such an eternity since the last blog it's kinda hard to figure out where to start, but don't worry, I won't BORE you with the laundry list of my day to day life! Especially with a title such as this.
Instead, I thought I would share the story behind one of my best selling cuffs & why everyone loves it and why I don't own one.
We've all been thru crap.... I mean the really hard crappy crap that makes you say "This can't be my life, my history." Several years ago the CrapStorm landed and I really struggled with it (total wounded heart). To begin, my younger brother is one of those people in my life that I would walk thru fire for. Not because of anything other than we just really love and get one another. Always been that way, even being 11 years apart.
Well during the CrapStorm he hit rock bottom & wanted/tried (such a fine line) to commit suicide. Needless to say it was like my world was burnt to the ground. If you've been here you know it's a constant dialog in your head...
"What are the right words to fix this, make him understand he is worth life?
"Don't they know how much I love them? Need them in my life?"
Truth is, there is nothing you can say because it's not about you and never was. It's a decision he had to make, he had to accept....goes against every grain of my "let me help you" being!
My amazing brother is so much better now & that's just a moment in the past we can thankfully talk about. But while I was the processing this moment (...for a few years!) I made this cuff. I had the quote as my phone background, I let it roll around in my head & thought about it daily. I tried to absorb it into every part of my being.
This cuff was NEVER meant for anyone but me. I didn't feel like I was healed enough to share it, I did NOT want to share it. It was my talisman and it kept me safe. Until...
At a show this beautiful soul came up to me & asked if she could buy it off my wrist. She could tell I was trying to politely say "I'm sorry, I can't." So she started saying "My brother (now I'm totally listening) is 19 and just went blind. We are very close and it makes me think of him (I'm almost crying and basically tearing it off my wrist at this point) & I NEED it."
I mean, She NEEDED it...that simple. I no longer needed it but she did. So it was hers. All it took. I've never owned one since, don't need it anymore. I have my brother.
Since then I've made more of the Strong Cuffs than I can count. They have gone to cancer survivors, families who have lost loved ones, people who are building a fresh start and so many countless other beautiful people.
But that is why I wake up every day thankful for what I do. I'm blessed with the task of making jewelry that gives people comfort, laughter, joy, & sometimes makes them feel like a badass. It's so much more than Leather + Metal. It's really wearing your affirmation and your heart on your sleeve so to speak. And I'm so grateful I get to contribute to that with my work.
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