My mind is filled with images. Haunting images. Of devastation. And of community.
I spent today in High River, helping with flood clean-up. I wanted to bring my camera. But I couldn't bring myself to do so. It just didn't feel right to be taking pictures of the devastation people are suffering. But the images are seared into my brain.
- a child's bicycle sitting by the front step of a building that cannot be inhabited right now
- a skate hanging over the edge of a dumpster
- the individuals who came and asked if we were volunteers - who then asked us for their help
- the plastic lid of a rubbermaid tub - labeled photo albums
- a picture frame laying face down on the lawn, with an inscription of love on the back
- the long line of traffic waiting to get into High River, people streaming in to help
- the father and three children who came pulling a wagon and offering snacks and drinks, and the sheer generosity of heart the children (and the father) showed
- the gratitude of the homeowner when he came home to find that his friend had indeed managed to get people to help clean his basement out
- the immense piles of garbage (translation - personal possessions and building materials) piled EVERYWHERE
- a railroad bridge that wasn't a bridge, but just a rail line with nothing supporting it as it crossed the river
- a boat straddling the rail lines
- the twisted rail lines
- the neighbourhood that is still under an incredible amount of water
- the look on my friend's face when I appeared in her friend's basement to help clean it out (As an aside, I had hoped to see her, but I didn't want to ask to help her. That's the place where we were sent by the church! Totally a God-thing.)
- groups of volunteers everywhere
- the total silence in the vehicle all the way back home
- muddy muddy people
- seeing young men I had taught years ago - giving and giving and giving to their community
- camaraderie among strangers who are working for a common cause
- the iridescence of CDs shimmering amidst the brown and gray piles of drywall and insulation pulled from a basement
- a piano sitting on the curb
- bleachers from a baseball field sitting on a fence
- signs of hope - deep pink peony blossoms ready to open and shining out amidst the pile of rubble being removed through a basement window right beside the bush
So - I'm haunted. Forever changed. And feeling blessed. And, truth be told, a little sore. But mostly feeling incredibly blessed.
P.S. The theme of our school year this past year was community building. There are LOTS of opportunities to put that into action in my home. And I have been incredibly inspired by the creativity and generosity of people. I am so proud to call this city my home.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
A Very Special Card
It was Mother's Day almost two weeks ago. I am not a mother. But I am an aunt. I spent Mother's Day at my parents' house. Two of my sisters were also there that weekend. They are not mothers either. We are very blessed to have seven nephews and nieces in our lives. One of them found a lovely card and it was delivered to us. We felt incredibly loved!
I haven't sat down and added more to my "official" list of gifts. But here are 8 more to add:
- the love of family
- seven absolutely wonderful nephews and nieces!
Quilt Festival - Aunts and Nieces
Last summer I had the wonderful pleasure of helping my niece make a baby quilt for her fiancé's niece. It was so much fun going shopping for fabric and working through the process with her. Looking back on it, the experience was even richer in tradition for us. The first quilt I ever made was with my aunt. I was 17 and she helped me make a quilt for my bed, a tied quilt that I still have today! So my aunt helped me (her niece). And I helped my niece make a quilt for her (almost) niece. Spending time together working towards a common goal certainly strengthens relationships. I am so incredibly thankful for family.
Quilt dimensions - approximately 45" x 60"
backing - lovely soft minkee-like fabric with the lovely dots found in strips on the front
quilted by me
My niece and I have picked out material for her wedding gift quilt. I am looking forward to the process of making the quilt for the two of them.
Go and check out more quilts at the quilt festival. Amy's Creative Side - Blogger's Quilt Festival
Quilt Festival - purple majesty
It's time for the blogger's quilt festival again. I've been enjoying the posts and the inspiration from the quilts! My list of things to try just keeps getting longer. Thanks to all!
Here is one of my finished quilts. It's a quilt I made for a cousin's wedding. She loves purple, so purple it would be. I was surprised how hard it was for me to find purples that I liked. But I LOVE the result. I kind of want to make another one - for me. I hope you like it. But the most important thing to me really is that Alena and Chris like it. I just love how quilts can bring love to those who receive them.
Here is one of my finished quilts. It's a quilt I made for a cousin's wedding. She loves purple, so purple it would be. I was surprised how hard it was for me to find purples that I liked. But I LOVE the result. I kind of want to make another one - for me. I hope you like it. But the most important thing to me really is that Alena and Chris like it. I just love how quilts can bring love to those who receive them.
Quilt made with Rectangle Squared tutorial from Film in the Fridge. Thank you!
Quilt is approximately 64" square.
Quilted by Devon Lavigne of Prairie Quilt Mercantile
Go and check out more quilts at the quilt Festival. Amy's Creative Side - Quilt Festival
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Oh what a day!
It was a day to savour. A day to relish. A day to delight and absorb. Spring seems to be here. And what a gift that is. I guess when you have to wait for something, when you have to long for something, it is more precious when it comes. Today was a precious and delight-full day. A day filled with gifts from God, lots of little gifts that brought a smile to my heart and showed me that God is at work and ever present. Aaah. It is good.
My list of gifts continues.....
1795) celebrating Grandma's 97th birthday
1796) time with family
1797) hugs from family
1798) safety on the road
1799) a reliable vehicle
1800) sewing (well, cutting fabric) with my aunt
1801) sewing with friends
1802) an afternoon with a friend
1803) dinner with friends
1804) seeing students make good choices
1805) evidence of learning and growth
1806) encouragement from parents
1807) peace about a decision (most of the time)
1808) a walk with a friend
1809) Scrabble with a friend
1810) the chorus of frogs in the rushes
1811) seeing the frogs
1812) the billowing frogs' eggs in the water
1813) pussy willows
1814) grape hyacinths beginning to bloom
1815) tulip buds
1816) and tulips from the store
1817) home-made granola
1818) a simmering pot of soup on the stove
1819) real food
1820) satisfaction of cleaning up the flower beds
1821) needing to wash dusty soil off myself after yard work
1822) encouragement from a colleague
1823) encouragement and prayers from fellow church members - for my sister
1824) needing sunglasses
1825) having sunglasses
1826) refreshing water
1827) clean sheets
1828) reading
My list of gifts continues.....
1795) celebrating Grandma's 97th birthday
1796) time with family
1797) hugs from family
1798) safety on the road
1799) a reliable vehicle
1800) sewing (well, cutting fabric) with my aunt
1801) sewing with friends
1802) an afternoon with a friend
1803) dinner with friends
1804) seeing students make good choices
1805) evidence of learning and growth
1806) encouragement from parents
1807) peace about a decision (most of the time)
1808) a walk with a friend
1809) Scrabble with a friend
1810) the chorus of frogs in the rushes
1811) seeing the frogs
1812) the billowing frogs' eggs in the water
1814) grape hyacinths beginning to bloom
1815) tulip buds
1816) and tulips from the store
1817) home-made granola
1818) a simmering pot of soup on the stove
1819) real food
1821) needing to wash dusty soil off myself after yard work
1822) encouragement from a colleague
1823) encouragement and prayers from fellow church members - for my sister
1824) needing sunglasses
1825) having sunglasses
1826) refreshing water
1827) clean sheets
1828) reading
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Twinkle Lights
It's amazing what happens when the piles of books are sorted and organized. I found a book that I had ordered in the fall. I was excited to read it, but somehow had forgotten all about it. Sort of ironic, given the title and the content. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. I am not one who can keep things all in their places. Which is why a pile (or two or three) of books even exists.
Here's one of the sections that jumped out at me today.
"Twinkle lights are the perfect metaphor for joy. Joy is not a constant. It comes to us in moments - often ordinary moments. Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we're too busy chasing down extraordinary moments. Other times we're so afraid of the dark that we don't dare let ourselves enjoy the light.
A joyful life is not a floodlight of joy. That would eventually become unbearable.
I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, inspiration, and faith." Brene Brown in The Gifts of Imperfection p. 80 and 81
Here are some of the twinkle lights in my past week.
1775) flowers delivered at school to celebrate two years of being cancer free
Moving on. I've been making my way through the book. Can't overdo it and do it all at once, you know. Some things just need time to percolate. At least they do for me. Today I read the 4th guidepost - cultivating gratitude and joy.
"Twinkle lights are the perfect metaphor for joy. Joy is not a constant. It comes to us in moments - often ordinary moments. Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we're too busy chasing down extraordinary moments. Other times we're so afraid of the dark that we don't dare let ourselves enjoy the light.
A joyful life is not a floodlight of joy. That would eventually become unbearable.
I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, inspiration, and faith." Brene Brown in The Gifts of Imperfection p. 80 and 81
Here are some of the twinkle lights in my past week.
1775) flowers delivered at school to celebrate two years of being cancer free
1776) the love of family
1777) sewing with friends
1778 - 1785) the process of creating with fabric
1786) dinner with a friend
1787) the beauty of the dinner
1788) hugs from friends
1789) hugs from children
1790) encouragement from parents of students
1791) losing myself in a book
1792) physical health and being able to shovel snow
1793) inspiration from others
1794) beauty in the colours of food
Sunday, April 7, 2013
What I see....
In the process of cleaning up my house (well, a small part of it) during my break, I read through some magazines that had been waiting for me. In one of them I found this quote - and it struck a chord with me.
"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Henry David Thoreau
Here's what I've "seen" in the last number of weeks. Well, some of it. I haven't been exactly faithful in recording these gifts from God. But, spending time just now going back through the weeks has been delight-full.
1701) the challenge of a mystery quilt and having fabrics at home to use for it
1702) gifts of rides to convention
1703) being able to take the train to come home
1704) completing report cards
1705) and encouragement from administration on the comments I wrote
1706) a great Saturday - with success in writing report cards - and
1707) a walk to a nearby cafe for breakfast (one of my breaks) - and
1708) a walk to the train to explore the indoor gardens downtown (another break)
1709) when severe pain goes away - and
1710) being able to get in to the doctor and finding our the cause isn't serious
1711) successful student-led conferences
1712) successful VIP Day at school -watching kids and their guests interact
1713) students learning new skills and applying these skills
1714) hugs from children
1715) benefits of a decision NOT to travel north the first weekend of Spring Break - including
1716) having the time to make meals to take along - and
1717) being able to be there longer - and
1718) being able to take a niece shopping to buy fabric to make her a quilt
1719) time cooking with a friend
1720) time quilting with friends
1721) the anticipation of putting the pieces of a quilt together
1722) being able to help a friend
1723) realizing it's 2 years tomorrow since my surgery
1724) being able to chat with someone about to undergo the same surgery I had - and answering her questions
1725) spending a day with a friend at a quilt festival
1726) spending lunch with others we bumped into there - and the times we bumped into them throughout the day
1727) new inspiration and ideas for quilts
1728) new fabric and plans for quilts
1729) yes, and even resisting buying some beautiful fabrics
1730) being able to enjoy and admire different combinations of colours and designs
1731) dry roads so we could travel - despite the forecast
1732) time to read
1733) finishing Elaine's quilt
1734) finishing the orange and red quilt
1735) and not totally hating the hand-sewing of the bindings
1736) hugs at church
1737) clean sheets
1738) tea
1739) candied ginger
1740) holidays and downtime
1741) celebrating Easter -
1742) and everything that means for eternity!
1743) sermon illustrations and explanations like
1744) the comment on Jesus' greeting to the women in the garden - simply "Greetings" when it could have been "Ta da!"
1745) a drive to the country and an art gallery and tea with friends
1746) dinner and a walk with a friend
1747) libraries
1748) the hold system to get particular books and movies
1749) having a garage
1750) a warm enough day to do a little yard work
1751) seeing a little green - in daffodils coming up
1752) the gift of the words of others - in books - words that make me pause
1753) and wonder
1754) and feel
1755) and learn
1756) the feeling of belonging
1757) my father's ability to help me with computer problems - and get back the files I had lost
1758) external hard drives!
1759) my father's desire to share his passion and encourage me
1760) being able to visit my grandma with my brother
1761) lunch of appreciation
1762) dinner with my brother's family
1763) Easter brunch with family
1764) a phone call that calms and encourages a friend
1765) a wedding invitation - with a photo of my very happy friend!
1766) a long phone call with that friend
1767) more hours of daylight, and the evidence of that in the solar lights in my backyard
1768) time sewing with my aunt
1769) dinner at her house
1770) dinner and a movie with friends
1771) birthday dinner with friends (not my birthday)
1772) sighting an unusual bird on a walk
1773) walking with two of my sisters
1774) laying out quilt blocks that I thought were on the ugly side - and discovering a quiet beauty in the quilt
"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Henry David Thoreau
Here's what I've "seen" in the last number of weeks. Well, some of it. I haven't been exactly faithful in recording these gifts from God. But, spending time just now going back through the weeks has been delight-full.
1701) the challenge of a mystery quilt and having fabrics at home to use for it
1702) gifts of rides to convention
1703) being able to take the train to come home
1704) completing report cards
1705) and encouragement from administration on the comments I wrote
1706) a great Saturday - with success in writing report cards - and
1707) a walk to a nearby cafe for breakfast (one of my breaks) - and
1708) a walk to the train to explore the indoor gardens downtown (another break)
1709) when severe pain goes away - and
1710) being able to get in to the doctor and finding our the cause isn't serious
1711) successful student-led conferences
1712) successful VIP Day at school -watching kids and their guests interact
1713) students learning new skills and applying these skills
1714) hugs from children
1715) benefits of a decision NOT to travel north the first weekend of Spring Break - including
1716) having the time to make meals to take along - and
1717) being able to be there longer - and
1718) being able to take a niece shopping to buy fabric to make her a quilt
1719) time cooking with a friend
1720) time quilting with friends
1721) the anticipation of putting the pieces of a quilt together
1722) being able to help a friend
1723) realizing it's 2 years tomorrow since my surgery
1724) being able to chat with someone about to undergo the same surgery I had - and answering her questions
1725) spending a day with a friend at a quilt festival
1726) spending lunch with others we bumped into there - and the times we bumped into them throughout the day
1727) new inspiration and ideas for quilts
1728) new fabric and plans for quilts
1729) yes, and even resisting buying some beautiful fabrics
1730) being able to enjoy and admire different combinations of colours and designs
1731) dry roads so we could travel - despite the forecast
1732) time to read
1733) finishing Elaine's quilt
1734) finishing the orange and red quilt
1735) and not totally hating the hand-sewing of the bindings
1736) hugs at church
1737) clean sheets
1738) tea
1739) candied ginger
1740) holidays and downtime
1741) celebrating Easter -
1742) and everything that means for eternity!
1743) sermon illustrations and explanations like
1744) the comment on Jesus' greeting to the women in the garden - simply "Greetings" when it could have been "Ta da!"
1745) a drive to the country and an art gallery and tea with friends
1746) dinner and a walk with a friend
1747) libraries
1748) the hold system to get particular books and movies
1749) having a garage
1750) a warm enough day to do a little yard work
1751) seeing a little green - in daffodils coming up
1752) the gift of the words of others - in books - words that make me pause
1753) and wonder
1754) and feel
1755) and learn
1756) the feeling of belonging
1757) my father's ability to help me with computer problems - and get back the files I had lost
1758) external hard drives!
1759) my father's desire to share his passion and encourage me
1760) being able to visit my grandma with my brother
1761) lunch of appreciation
1762) dinner with my brother's family
1763) Easter brunch with family
1764) a phone call that calms and encourages a friend
1765) a wedding invitation - with a photo of my very happy friend!
1766) a long phone call with that friend
1767) more hours of daylight, and the evidence of that in the solar lights in my backyard
1768) time sewing with my aunt
1769) dinner at her house
1770) dinner and a movie with friends
1771) birthday dinner with friends (not my birthday)
1772) sighting an unusual bird on a walk
1773) walking with two of my sisters
1774) laying out quilt blocks that I thought were on the ugly side - and discovering a quiet beauty in the quilt
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