Often unfair.
Filled with unpleasant surprises of things you never thought would happen.
I'm not speaking of tragedy, but difficulty.
I think most of us don't experience tragedy--like those that have occurred recently,
but I know we all have difficulties--sometimes every day.
Some are self-imposed from injudicious decisions, and
some brought on in the process of living with and loving people.
People who make mistakes, get sick, grow old, have hurts...
Or people who are just downright hateful, vengeful, or manipulative.
I had a particularly stressful week this week, and someone who is becoming dear to me said
"go and be with the people who love you."
And it made me think long and hard about who those people really are...
And who those people have been and are becoming.
There's my sweet mother, who taught me to sew with excellence.
I found these vintage 50's napkins which so reminded me of the ones she
taught me to make. (We never used paper.):
(These will go to
my heart sister, Christel
who just started wanting cloth napkins and has dining room walls this color.)
There was my mother's mother, my Mamaw,
who was a poor, Appalachian farm wife, mother of 11,
with a crooked stoop in her back but always a soft voice and a smile for me.
Who wore aprons full of wood clothespins like this one:
And this one:
The fabrics repurposed from feed sacks:
And my Grandmother Gwen, my "city" grandma
who wore elegant beaded jewelry like this:
And my dear, sweet, brilliant son,
who loves caps like this one in black and white wool herringbone:
Can't you just see how this hat fits him? :-)
And a special 12-year old
who loves all things vintage and is my thrifting buddy.
She found these bottles of glitter for me. For fifty cents each, I had to have them:
I kept finding these items in my thrifting yesterday, and I wondered--
Am I buying memories?
I think it was just God's way of reminding me through everyday things
that I have been and am loved.
As I reflect, there are so many others--my mother-in-law, my cousins,
my sisters-in-law, so many friends--
too many to name..
what a blessing!
We are investing ourselves in each other's lives,
with all the joy, all the pain, and all the difficulty.
I love them, and they love me.
