College blues...

We received our local paper today, with a big insert of senior 2006 pictures from the local schools. I usually look through to see if I recognize anyone. But I couldn't help feeling a "little panic attack" when I see the lists of honors and scholarships these young people have earned. Will things go that well for my son, whom I've kept out of my alma mater all these years? Will we be able to successfully navigate the college maze? Can he earn the degree he'd like to have without going into debt for umpteen thousand dollars?

These are the questions that run through my head. I've done the research, know it can be done...but it's just scary when you've never done it before. After all, he only has one life to live...

Kids say the funniest things...

I teach a Bible class of 5 year olds, and we have one young student who is rather outspoken--we never know what she will say! This past Sunday I was relating something my 16-year-old son had done when he was much younger, and she said, "Why...he's a man! He's taller than everybody else at church!" Te-he-he. She's telling the truth--he is taller than most everyone else, and she just couldn't imagine he had ever been little like she is. Now that I think about it, it was just the other day he was so small...

Quilting Accolades

My quilting guild held an auction this month, and I thought a miniature quilt might be a good item to donate. It is pictured here, and measured 8" by 9". My husband and I were celebrating our anniversary that night, so we stopped in to see how the auction was going. Much to my amazement, this little quilt racked up $220 in bids, and was the most expensive item auctioned! All I could think was "Wow!" I never imagined it would bring so much. Some people think I'm crazy for making such little quilts, but they sure take a lot less fabric, and I get quite a sense of accomplishment when I'm done. I've also been wrestling with machine quilting a queen size quilt for a wedding gift, and I was just vastly relieved when it was done. Just thought I'd tell you what the quilter's been up to!

Every day is Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a bittersweet holiday for our family. We lost my mother-in-law rather suddenly three years ago, and we are losing my mother very slowly to some sort of dementia. We live close enough to Mother to care for her on a daily basis, so in a very real way, every day is Mother's Day.

Every day I make sure she's taken her medicine. Every day I pick up the little messes she's left behind. Every day I try to encourage her when she feels depressed about her lack of memory.
And almost every day, I struggle with the anguish of her becoming someone besides the Mother I once knew.

We are so thankful, though. I could make a good-sized list of the things she is still able to do on her own. She still knows and recognizes all of us. She still understands a good joke and laughs. She still enjoys looking out at the birds, flowers and deer.

A patchwork quilt would seem trite and uninspiring if it did not have some trials and struggles of life woven in, to provide contrast to the good times and the blessings.

Things No One Ever Told Me...

When my homeschooled children were small, no one ever told me that eventually they would grow up. Oh, yes, people said, "How will you ever teach them chemistry!" And I just thought of my medical technology degree and smiled. But no one ever told me what beautiful people they would become.

No one ever told me that grown up kids really do learn how to spell eventually, with occasional help from the spellchecker, despite the umpteen spelling programs I've purchased and discarded.

No one ever told me that grown up kids have an excellent sense of humor, and there would be times of family laughter and jokes that I never imagined.

No one ever told me that grown up kids could learn so much more that I ever knew at their age, or even today--that they could have such great insight into deep theological ideas.

No one ever told me what tremendous pleasure and pride I would feel in reading things that my children have written--really awesome, imaginative stuff that other people compliment again and again.

If I had known that grown up kids were so much fun, I think I would have been willing to overlook a few more diaper days.

Patchwork of Life

So this is the big wide world of blogs! Up to this point, I've only been a blog reader, not a blogger myself. However, I think I'll give it a try. I chose "Patchwork of Life" as a title because I am a quilter, and I see many parallels between the stitches of my quilts and the stitches of my life.

Every time I make a quilt, there is something I wish I had done differently--not necessarily mistakes, but doing things the hard way when I could have chosen the easier route. In life, many times we cannot go back and change a thing, but sometimes a situation occurs again, and we have a second opportunity to get it right.

Every time I make a quilt, I learn better how to choose carefully the colors and fabrics, because a wrong choice can make a big difference in the overall effect of the quilt. Our lives are filled with many choices, and sometimes a poor choice affects all the rest of your life, and how it turns out.

Every time I make a quilt, there is someone or some situation I am thinking about as I stitch. It may be a new baby in the family, or it may be a tragedy on the news that I can't stop thinking about. Those thoughts are intertwined with my stitches, and become a part of my quilt, so that I think of them when I see the quilt again.

May the stitches of your life and the patches you choose combine to make a beautiful life in the end!