Happy Birthday!

For my mother, celebrating eighty years

I wanted to make something special for you on this big day.  After much thought, an idea started to germinate for a simple yet unique form that has immediate recognition but nevertheless is imbued with rich symbolism.  I decided to give you my heart.

The idea for this design came to me as a simple heart on a piece of paper on a table.  I started to think of what that could look like arising from a two dimensional image to one in three dimensions with the first heart as its base. I wasn’t sure how the two lobes from the top of the heart would morph into the tapered point on the other end but decided that I would figure it out as I carved.  

For the wood, I chose “Osage Orange,” a tree indigenous to Missouri.  Samples from this tress were taken from Lewis and Clarke on their expedition.  It was referred to by the Indians as “bow wood.” The wood is very sturdy and holds a spring well.  Indians would travel hundreds of miles to obtain this wood. It has a very distinctive yellow grain that is also used for dyes in textiles.  It is heavily grained and very dense and resistant to rotting. It is prized for making tool handles. It is sought after for use as fence posts as well but only when the wood is green.  Once dried, the wood is so hard that staples for barbed wire cannot be inserted into the grain.

This wood had been given to me by a member of my ward who heard it was good for carving.  After announcing my intentions our good friend, Kathy Tempel, discouraged me from trying. She knew the wood from her family’s nursery. They had used it for stakes to hold up their plants and she knew how hard and durable it was.  Undeterred, I decided to give it a go.

I used a carbon embedded grinder to take the stump down to a shape that I thought I could work with.  It made a huge mess of the prettiest saw dust you have ever seen, bright yellow. I had to leave my clothes out in the garage as it tracked everywhere.  I then took out my chisels and with a wooden mallet I began using all my force to knock off chips of wood. The going was slow, Gina was getting a headache from all the hammering and it was taking a toll on the muscles of my shoulders and neck.  I went back to the shed and used the grinder again, roughing out a crude heart shape.

I decided next to use the Dremel tool with a wood grinder.  It was slow going but I could shape the wood fairly well. Armed with bluetooth earbuds, a dust mask, ear and eye protection, I spent most of General Conference listening to the speakers and grinding my project into shape.  

As I started rounding out the top of the heart and turning the ends down towards the center, the shapes reminded me of the heads of swans, curving down and joining into one.  From the top of the base it reminded me of my mother and my father who through all the years have learned to grow together, cleaving to each other as one. The following scripture came to my mind from Mark 10:7-9.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

From your union have come four wonderful children. The trailing edge of the heart represents your children that taper down and join you creating a family based in love.  

Osage Orange is not a perfect wood.  It has many knots, causing it to twist and turn and these results in splits and cracks in the wood.  Our family, as great as it is, has a few cracks as well. I used a wood putty to fill in the cracks. I purposefully used a dark color to set it off from the rest of the wood.  I consider it to be symbolic of the Atonement of Christ. He who binds up our wounds and seals us together to him.

Whether you consider all of this as you look at the carving or not, I hope that as you look at it, you will know that I love you and are so grateful to have you for my mother.  

Michael

April 23, 2019