this is something I love that someone made for me

It's week 2 of the meme that Melissa started. It was Kate's turn to pick a subject, and she chose "something I love that someone made for me."

My daughter, Grace, in case you aren't a loyal reader or are just not paying attention, has serious artistic tendencies. Not in the sense of mommy one-upmanship that can happen on the playground while comparing who potty learned or pointed to their noses first; no, more in the sense of looking at something surprisingly creative that your child produces and wondering "where on God's green earth did that combination of genes come from because she sure as hell didn't get it from her father." Anyway, Grace has often taken me by surprise with her art, but the painting above was one of the first times that she really took my breath away. She was four years old when she made it in preschool for Mother's Day, and it was her first experience with oil paint. It isn't so much the beauty of the painting but how she described it in her little girl words. She said:

There's a rainbow and green grass and a few clouds, and a rose with some thorns but also gold [the gold center is actually so thick it is raised off the canvas]. And in the middle of it all is a volcano!

Well isn't that just about a perfect description of motherhood if you ever heard one? My favorite part is that her teacher took a picture of her painting it and wrote down her description and attached it to the back so we will never forget. Grace has drawn and painted and colored many pictures for me since that day. She has molded clay and folded paper and even learned to piece fabric on her very own sewing machine. But I love to look at this painting, hanging in my office, and remember the first time I got a glimpse of her artist's soul. The best Mother's Day present ever.

What's your favorite thing that someone made for you? Jump in and play with us!