The only perfection we have in life is the imperfection and beauty of Nature that we are gifted with daily. Recently, a quilting friend and I were gifted with a weekend stay in Villas,NJ. We were spending our days at a Quilt/Fiber show at Cold Spring Village. After a full day of fascinating conversations with most interesting people - adults and children alike - we were relaxing with our Key West Tacos and watching a Hallmark movie. I looked at the clock, looked outside and realized that we knew how the movie would progress and end - so predictable - but would never be in this space and time again with a beautiful evening to watch the sunset on the Delaware Bay! Hey, want to come? And my mid 70s friend had her shoes on and tied before I finished my question! Off we went. We found a path to to the beach amidst all of the big private houses with their private walkways. This view is what greeted me as I walked the path tothe beach. I could have stopped there and headed home but I just knew there were more gifts over the ridge and down the steps! Onward!!
Careless abandon!! These flip flops said just that to me! The sun was shining on them and agreeing with me. I sat on the step and watched the families come down to the beach and immediately kick off the shoes. That's more of the perfection of imperfection. They wanted to romp in the sand and feel it between their toes and they had to be barefooted! Just did!! I love what these shoes represent to me - the life lesson they shared. Just do it - don't think about it - just do it. Kick off your shoes and go for it! The sand, the water and the freedom were so there for the taking!! WOW and if we had sat and finished watching the Hallmark movie, we would have missed out on so many of the synchronicities of life's learninig laboratory! As an aside, we watched another one when we got back after dark - yep, we could have written the script for that one as well!!
Nature, beauty, sunset and now a QUILT?!? It's connected folks and that the beauty of life - everything is so connected - you just have to have a mind like mine that creates those scenarios all the time. A few years ago, I found these hearts and flowers patterns on the Internet (always a great source of inspiration) and decided to just stitch/embroider them. There were 12 - monumental task to be sure, but in the spirit of life and Lao Tzu, I decided to take the first step and JUST DO IT! Wow - I finished them and had them at a quilt meeting. "Friends, what should I do with these?" Oh crazy quilt to be sure, Martie was their response. Then I asked the group to share pieces of red materials for me to use and they did! With the combination of my stash and theirs, forward momentum continued. Then I finished that part of the twelve squares. Again, back to the friends - what to do - and since we were meeting at Quilted Treasures in Atco, NJ, Lynn just happened to have the perfect fabric to pull it all together!
Why am I sharing all of this? Well it is about ACCEPTANCE! I do some crazy quilting because I like to stitch. This past weekend at the quilt show, I received so many compliments and affirmations for my work that it totally gave me pause and filled me with lots of amazement ...and gratitude. I reflected on some of the work I have done over the years and realized that I have my style and I do nice work! Why does that surprise me? Well...it's about acceptance - self acceptance huh? The realization that I take wonderful pictures and love my photography and now the knowing that I have some really great and creative quilt work as well - all hand stitched. One ending to the story, although the chains of connections could well be never ending. My friend Pat was working on a red,black and white quilt as she lay in the hospital last Fall. I loved her and her work. We did a tribute to her and her work at the quilt show. As we set out the quilts - finished and unfinished, we realized that her last pieces were both finished and unfinished. The unfinished squares - can you believe there are TWELVE of them - just the same amount as my red work squares and the same size too ?~? Now, they will be the back side of my quilt and my memory/connection to a dear friend. Isn't life amazing in its perfection/imperfection and our acceptance of it all??
No comments:
Post a Comment