Rings

I wear these two rings daily - in fact I'm almost never seen without them unless I have a gig or a task that requires me taking them off.

They remind me of the two most important men in my life.

The lightning bolt ring - which has gotten lots of compliments from a lot of people - is a gift from my brother. All sisters are biased, but I do think, with every justification, that I have the best brother in the universe. He has been a constant support in my work and my art, the recipient of many of my rantings and frustrations, and he always believes in me, even when I don't believe myself. He is a musician of the first water, a gentleman, my protector, and anchor during some really dark periods of my life.

The steel circlet is from my father. This man has shaped my life in ways that I could never have imagined. He has loved me through times when some parents would have just thrown me out, and he is above all a man of integrity, faith, and humility whom I respect and admire with all my heart. I didn't see much of him when I was growing up, and our relationship has taken time to develop - it's still getting there, but I am thankful for it. He is common sense, practicality, support, lame jokes, and immense ability - this is the man who, without ever knowing what a drop spindle was, helped me build the Turkish drop spindle I use now. We connect through food, cooking and guppies - our conversations almost always begin and end with food, with mentions of guppies interspersed in between - but that is our measure of love, our own private language.

Love, strength, protection, all wrapped up in two steel and silver rings.

I carry them with me, every day of my life, to remind me.