With My Own Two Hands

Zach loves working with his hands. And I love seeing the pure, beaming pride in his little face when he finishes a project. A project that he initiates, he thinks up, he designs, he creates, he finishes.

We are big supporters of handmade here, but the big irony is that I am whatever the polar opposite of a crafty mama is. I LOVE etsy. Many of Zach's toys are handmade. I oogle quilts and wooden carved toys and knit caps with awe and envy.

It started when I worked for HGTV and I had the privilege of hanging around, interviewing, and getting to know people who can create. Watching talented architects, builders, and carpenters create something out of nothing was always magical to me, and yet so out of reach.

I create. But creating video is so intangible, so unreal, so voodo. Making television shows is like drawing pictures in the sand at low tide. It's only yours for a moment. And nobody else seems to appreciate your real vision.

So Zach has been making ships out of paper grocery bags and robots out of empty boxes and drawing plans to build a bridge to the moon and a zip line to Hawaii.

And he's been sewing. He made a special pillow for his granpda in Hawaii who had quadruple heart surgery last month. And he makes bags for his rock collections. And this week he grabbed his sewing basket and a wooden sword that a friend made for him and started making a scabbard. He measured and cut and sewed and tied knots and the look on his face when he finished was priceless.







Then he said, "Mama, there's nothing in this world that I can't make with my own two hands. Except maybe making the world itself spin."





And now I can't get this song out of my head or the smile off my face.

"With My Own Two Hands"
(feat. Ben Harper)

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make it a better place
With my own two hands
Make it a kinder place
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I'm going to make it a brighter place
With my own two hands
I'm going to make it a safer place
With my own two hands
I'm going to help the human race
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can hold you
With my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you've got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own
Use your own two hands
With our own
With our own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands