I’m trying to re-design my jam label. I initially had a picture of my grandmother in mind, and then I realized it was really my mom who taught me to make jam, even though her mom taught her.  I thought about a picture of my mom and I from Mother’s Day one year, but Nicholas’ suggestion was to use a symbol or representation on my label instead, since there’s hardly space for a clear picture anyway.  Then the dilemma really began.  How do I represent myself in one symbol?  Do I want to go back to my roots and do something country, or is that too cliché?  If I use a city reference, am I neglecting the core of who I am–traitor? I feel like what started as a fun task of creating a label out of an old picture has turned into a reflective life assessment.  I feel like the product of some massive transformation, but am not sure what that looks like as a visual on a jam label, and then I realize that I’m probably over thinking it entirely, as the nerdy English teacher I’ve become.  But somehow, it seems important to have the right image on a product that represents so much of who I am–the jam is such a connection to the organic and wholesome way that I was raised and is a representation of my identity acceptance.  I didn’t always embrace and appreciate homegrown ways of life and now it’s my tag/label.  I’m proud to be the product of an incredibly pure and simple way of life that was never easy, but entirely challenging with a lesson at the end of every experience.  The person I’ve become is quite different from anyone in my family, and entirely different from anything I could have imagined when I used to picture my future.  I’m a blend of experiences, but ultimately have the simple, pure values of jam—mix homegrown fruit with the extraordinary sweetness of sugar cane.  Then be patient.  Don’t walk away. Pay attention and keep stirring.  It’s going to take some effort, but the end result is worth the work and time.  I operate this way at work, in love, in relationships, and always in the kitchen.  Like Kindergarten for Robert Fulghum, jam has taught me about life, and I still don’t know what that may look like in an image.  <sigh>