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Although my beloved and I have tread many soils on this planet, our knowledge of geography is scraggy and incomplete. Borders, capital cities and surrounding seas elude us and we hesitantly thrust our fingers at the globe in search of answers to Bijou's myriad of questions. It is a puzzle left incomplete; gathering dust for too long.
The arrival of a beautiful, hand crafted doll * from Guatemala encouraged us to sweep away the cobwebs and further create a home of enquiry and learning, for all of us. Guatemala was located on the globe and we set about gathering resources to deepen our understanding of this colourful place.
Some books were borrowed from the library while other ones* were carefully chosen and purchased to begin a reference section on our bookshelf. Together we marvelled at photos of the textiles; the jewel colours, hand embroidered by the woman with a baby slung across her back. We tasted homemade tortillas and created tiny worry dolls for beneath our pillows. All the while we talked of homes and the families within them.
One day we will take our babies on adventures across the seas but for now we hope to fill them with glimpses of far off lands, different cultures and ways of day to day life. To ever so gently peel away the innocence and open their eyes to not only the beauty and majesty of this planet but also the suffering. And in doing so, empower them with ways to extend a hand to their fellow man.
I wonder where our travels will take us next...
Steph x
* our colourful lady was a gift from a beautiful friend.
* Abuela's weave is a heartwarming story of a young Guatemalan girl and her Grandmother. It explores pride, perseverance and the colourful textiles of the country and was a gentle way to introduce our babies to new cultures.
Steph, is that the typo globe you mentioned? It looks perfect for our little "following Daniel" journey. I'll have to check out my local store. Adore this post (especially those little peg people) x
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely! A nice little one with a lovely wooden base and muted tones. We bought it a good few months ago but I'll check our store if you don't have any luck. The little worry dolls were a lot of fun to make and made for some very interesting conversations xx
DeleteOh Guatemala, so beautiful. I was gifted a small hand-painted yellow box containing a collection of tiny worry dolls when I left home. One of my most valued possessions, they sit upon my bedside, reminding me of all that I have overcome and the strength I conjured during those times of trial.
ReplyDeleteYou are creating a remarkable and full life for your little ones, Steph. It's utterly wonderful. Xx
How beautiful! What a special keepsake. Thank you so much for your lovely words, they have touched me deeply xx
DeleteWhat beautiful keepsakes. One of the most delightful gifts I've discovered about motherhood is that there are always invitations and opportunities to explore places and things I might otherwise miss. The joys of living with curious little folks!
ReplyDeleteI'm helping a friend plan an "around the world" party for her daughter and I'm loving exploring different cultures from a 5 year olds perspective. These worry dolls might be a lovely edition...you are always inspiring me with the beautiful world u r creating for your little ones.
ReplyDeleteI love this! One of my former students made me a worry doll - I kept it at work all year, but I think I need to bring her home and put her under my pillow!
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