A Mother's Day Message from Sazan

Hey fam, it's Sazan! This Mother's Day I wanted to share a message from my heart.  Whether you're a mama, grandmama, mama in the making, or a mama in waiting, I dedicate this message to you.

Our S+S Goods spring theme is: New beginnings, fresh starts and where old memories meet new. The items we collect in our homes provide us with a story and a glimpse into who we are. We all have a past, present, and future, and a well decorated home should too.

While S+S Goods has provided us with a new avenue to share things that inspire us and bring us joy, 'The Good Life' is ultimately not about what you have in your home. 'The Good Life' is about appreciating the good moments and memories, both big and small. Sometimes, when you look back on memories from childhood as an adult, you gain a whole new beautiful perspective as you are able to see the full picture. Today I am sharing a fond, seemingly simple, memory of my mom from my childhood, and how reflecting on it as I prepared to become a mother myself brought me peace and gave me a deeper appreciation for my mom and life's silver linings. 

A little backstory: for the sake of time and the fact that we we're only shooting with one camera, I had to cut the story that inspired this video down to bring it to life. However, there's so much more to this story so I am sharing the full version with you below.

My mom’s car had broken down again. It happened so often that my five-year-old self assumed cars were supposed break down as much as they worked. I’m sure it caused a lot of inconvenience for my parents, but for me it meant my mom would walk me to school. The school wasn’t very close, probably thirty-minutes one way. My short legs didn’t help the situation. During our slow walks, I’d point out bugs and flowers and puppies while mom would nod sweetly the way parents do with their kids.

If you’ve ever gone a long walk with a small child, you know getting somewhere on time is a complicated priority. But since we were going to school, mom didn’t want me to be late. Her solution? About halfway through the walk, she would swoop me up on her shoulders to pick up the pace. I loved seeing the world from so high up. I would wrap my arms around her forehead and reach out for tree limbs overhanging the sidewalk as we passed.
 
Close to the school there was a short backroad full of fruit trees. There was a grapevine with massive leaves as big as my head. It was like a natural produce section in the grocery store. Whenever I was on mom’s shoulders she would detour through the produce aisle. I think she planned it because she would always reach into her pocket and bring out a small bag and hand it to me as she got close to the trees. I’d inspect different fruits and pluck them from the branches. Mom would give the final approval and slip them into the bag. It felt like a little scavenger hunt. Looking back, it was so much more.
 
These walks to school were our time together, our chance to be together and enjoy each other despite whatever hardships we were facing as a family. I was my mom’s little helper, and that made me so happy. It also showed me that my mom wanted to be with me, to amble along the side road with the delight of letting me pick the fruit. We probably wouldn’t do this for more than five minutes—I still had to get to school, and looking back I’m sure she had plenty to do. But that five-minute detour left a mark on my heart that only a loving mom can give.
 
As I anticipated the arrival of my first daughter, I reflected on those walks with my mom. It helped me understand I wouldn’t have to be perfect. I realized every expression of love doesn’t have to be larger-than-life and ready for Instagram. No, it would be the small moments that say I love you without any words. It also dawned on me that the broken-down car was the unintended invitation into these moments. When my mom’s car worked we didn’t walk to school. That junky car caused a lot of heartache for my parents, but it also provided a hidden blessing—and lots of fruit. Those walks taught me that adversity can open new, surprising, wonderful moments of connection, joy, and love.
 
Maybe something in your life feels broken right now. I get it, I’ve lived through a lot of broken. If you open your heart to what broken can bring, it’s possible you can find blessings and memories and love.

This story will always be in my heart and will now have a place here in the journal too. Happy Mother's Day!