Her Mother's Daughter

All my life I thought I looked like my father. I thought I acted like my father. He was such a handsome man, and such a strong character. All of his brothers and sisters looked like each other, and more specifically like their mother. My sister looked like my dad, too. So why wouldn't I? Just because I was a fair, towhead girl didn't mean anything did it?

Over the years, occasionally I would be told that I looked just like my mother. Well, that just couldn't be, and I just knew they were only seeing what they wanted to see! I'd been told that my daughter looked like my husband, and he wasn't her biological father, so that just proved my point, didn't it?

During the last two weeks in particular that I was with Mom, her nurses would say something about how alike my mother and I were. Hmmm, I said to myself. Are they seeing what they want to see? Something that would make mother feel good as she was at her business of dying? The last week, a new nurse came on duty early in the morning. She had only seen mom once or twice in the night. I walked up behind her, and touched her on her shoulder. I started to say, "Hi, I'm (Izzy's daughter)", and she finished the sentence with me (that which is in parenthesis). And then we both just laughed. I guess I AM my mother's daughter after all.

This piece was completed for the Kansas Art Quilter's group Altered Views. I had already started a different piece of work, but this one just had to be done. I've not only altered my view of how I look (like my mother), but also several other views of myself have been altered in the last month that I spent with her as well.

The venue for this work is at the Kansas Art Quilter's website in addition to the Covers Blown and other exhibits. Some I have work in, and others, I don't. Enjoy!