A Clean Act

My sister gave me this neat little booklet of garden design washcloth patterns. I finished up a sunflower washcloth in a pretty pastel yellow cotton the other day. The adorable frog pattern, using a dark forest green cotton yarn, is what's keeping me busy on this snowy Midwest day. My youngest son wants to know if it will be finished for his bath tonight. We shall see. If only dinner could wait, right!

A Celebration of Life

I've just returned from a memorial for a colleague of mine. She recently passed away after a courageous battle with stage 4 melanoma. She leaves behind a loving husband and two beautiful children. She also leaves behind her spirit for life. Her memorial was sad, beautiful, and inspiring. There was reference to all of us leaving a bit of ourselves on the quilt of life - each of us contributing to the beauty of the overall piece. And without each of us, the quilt would not be the same. It got me thinking about how each of us do contribute to the world around us. And how each of us handle situations differently. During these past few months I have learned to deal with the daily stress and sadness by knitting. A year ago I handled my dad's recovery from an emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm the same way. I handle much stress through knitting! As stitches are made, one after another, and the piece begins to unfold in front of me, thoughts become calmer, clearer. I sort through all of the things going through my mind as my hands continue working with the knitting needles. As I pick up my knitting later on in the day - my thoughts will return to my friend. This time I will try not to mourn for the loss, but for her celebration of life. Knitting brings love to those around us in more ways than a warm scarf or a hat to wear. Knitting brings love to those around us through all of the thoughts and prayers that have been stitched into the garment along the way. May you celebrate life today with those you love - be it through a hug, a kiss, or a gently wrapped warm prayer shawl.