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Apr 26, 2013


For Whom is This Flower?



http://www.wallcoo.net/flower/carnation_flowers_mothers_day/



















This week we are observing my mother’s memorial day.
Mother’s Day is coming soon (May 12 in the US and Canada)
and so this memorial day is extra special to me.


No, don’t go – this is not a sad post!
 It’s rather nostalgic and very optimistic…


My mother was 96 years old when she passed away.
She was lucky enough to see her family turning to “a clan”!
She had three children, ten  grandchildren and eight grand-grandchildren.
In spite of hard days and misfortunes, she was a merry  and optimistic
person who always saw the glass half-full.



























Mom was born in Estonia, the eldest of  three daughters, in an average
secular Jewish family. When she was 25, in 1935, her assertive and strong
character helped her make the fateful decision to leave her family and follow
her new husband, Dov, who lived in the small Jewish community in
Palestine under the British Mandate.























As an expert in classical studies, Dov came to the Tartu University
library to explore ancient manuscripts.
There he found his love – my mom, who had been studying Latin …
It was love at first sight- they got married a week later.
How romantic!


























But in 1938, Mom’s road of life took a sharp turn for the worst.
Three happy years were cut off by Dov’s death, from toxemia.
Penicillin was still in its research stage…
How tragic!
My mom was left alone, six-months pregnant with my sister
and with my three-year old brother. Those were hard times
in the Jewish settlement with the Arab riots of 1936-39.
Her late husband’s family took care of her. She put her two young
children in a boarding school and got a job.


She met my father, Jacob, eight years later.
Their romance was kept in the darkness, literally speaking.
My father was a member of the “Hagana” intelligence,
which was one of the Israeli organizations fighting for independence.
Being wanted by the British, he left his hiding place only at night.
How romantic!
Mom’s late husband’s family opposed their marriage since
he had no job and his future seemed unstable…
But as time passed this attitude turned to mutual love.
My father became a prominent figure in that family and even
named me after my siblings’ grandma – Vita. 


















After I was born, Mom stopped working, but she was a real feminist.
She preached to us to study a profession and to be financially independent.
She was also very political. I remember the daily political arguments
around the dinner table. My father used to call her “My Golda”(Golda Meir
was a prominent politician by that time and later becamePrime Minister).
On the very day my father passed away, Mom said:
“I am lucky! I had two husbands who loved me”.

Isn’t that a wonderful example of an optimistic and positive way of thinking???





















The carnation was my mom’s favorite flower.
We always had it growing in our garden.

                  I dedicate my handcrafted flower to my mom.

Its scientific name is Dianthus caryophyllus, roughly translating to
“flower of love” or “flower of gods”. It is one of the oldest cultivated
flowers whose origin goes back to ancient Greek and Roman times.
It has many symbolic interpretations, all over the world.
In the beginning of the 20th century, it became the official flower of
Mother’s Day.



















My handcrafted carnation is composed of three layers of Sterling Silver
leaves and tiny gems in its center. It is not a mimetic, but rather a stylized flower.
With this flower as a modulus, I made earrings, pendant, choker
and a fibula (brooch) connecting two necklaces.
Here are my jewels with carnation flowers. 

Enjoy.





         













I would love to hear from you.


Thank you and happy Mother’s Day!


Vita










                     

8 comments:

  1. Hi Vita,

    I am touched by the post in honor of your Mother's memory. My mother also went through several tragic events and remained a gutsy and optimistic woman.
    And I love the silver carnations and what they symbolize for you. What a wonderful idea.

    Happy Mother's day to you, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you.
      The usual clishe that life is the best "fiction", is being proven as solid truth, again and again.
      I do have inspiration from such optimist and vivid persons.

      Delete
  2. Wow Vita, as usual - I love reading what you write.
    Your post is so romantic and touching.
    Happy Mother's Day.
    Talila.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Talila.

      I wish you happy motherhood, all over the year!!!

      Vita

      Delete
  3. Vita
    what a wonderful and touching post!
    Thanks for sharing,
    Limitz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Limitz.
      This post was written not with my hand, but with my heart...

      Vita

      Delete
  4. שלום ויטה , מאד מרגש ,
    סיפור אמיתי ואנושי כמו שרק אומן יכול לכתוב
    ואכן העבודות שלך משקפות את ידי האומן שבך
    והסיפור את הרגש הצפון בלבך
    המשיכי בכתיבה ותחזקנה ידייך בעשייה
    כי שניהם שזורים בקרבך באהבה
    נ.ב. פרח הציפורן הוא פרח חיי מאז היותי ילדה , זה הפרח היפה ביותר מבחינתי, תודה.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Lea,
    Thank you so much for paying warm compliments both on my post and on my jewels.
    It is amazing: The most appealing posts are the personal ones...Usually I post about contemporary art and about my jewels, but I have learnt a lesson: Talk to people from your heart and not only from your brain...
    Thank you again,

    Vita

    ReplyDelete