quiltersmuse.com Blog

This past week’s mail brought a copy of the slick publication called “Material Facts,” produced by Queensland Quilters, Inc., in Australia. The editor had asked to reprint an essay I have on the website, entitled “Happiness.” In re-reading it, in a print format, I would have to say that it may represent one of my best efforts at writing…from the heart.

I have had readers write to tell me that they have printed it out, and that whenever they start feeling down, they read it again. Here is the link, if you’d like to read it, too:

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/happiness.htm

Patricia Cummings

The shape of the human hand is a long standing symbol in folk art, and in quilting. The hand reminds us of generosity, as in “extending the hand of kindness.” Upright hands, pressed together in prayer, are a symbol of deference, respect, and devotion to a higher being. The handshake is all important. Politicians shake a lot of hands, but these days, if anyone else has noticed, some of them tote along instant hand sanitizing lotion.

I entitled this mini-essay, “The Human Touch,” inasmuch as I want to share a short but meaningful poem by the same name, written by Spencer Michael Free:

Tis the human touch in this world that counts,
The touch of your hand and mine,
Which means far more to the fainting heart
Than shelter and bread and wine;
For shelter is gone when the night is o’er,
And bread lasts only a day,
But the touch of the hand and the sound of the voice
Sing on in the soul alway.

I hope you find the poem to be as inspiring as I do. This week, try reaching out to someone who just might be surprised by your kindness. If nothing else, you may just receive some unexpectedly good feelings, and you will also have made someone else feel special. We live in an impersonal world. We need to make it less so, by using our abilities to reach out to others.
Patricia

Katherine Mansfield, a British short story writer, born in New Zealand, once said the following, in 1922:

Whenever I prepare for a journey I prepare as though for death. Should I never return, all is in order. This is what life has taught me.

Her words ring true and remind me of myself. Whenever we embark on a road trip, I always make sure that the dishes are done, the wastebaskets are emptied, and the bed is made. Patiently, my husband stands by the door waiting (and probably thinking I’m a little odd) as I scurry to set things right before leaving.

Life is uncertain, though it seems trite to say so. While we always expect to return, the fact of the matter is, sometimes we don’t have that opportunity.

As we breezed through the “change only” window of the toll booth on the highway yesterday, my friend mentioned to the toll booth worker that there was a back up of cars in the other lane, headed north. The man replied that there had been a fifty car pile up and one fatality, earlier in the morning. It has snowed the night before. Well, that one “fatality” was one person, trying to return home, no doubt.

Life is about returning. We return to our family of origin, carrying our babies. We return to our homeland, if it is somewhere other than where we are now. We return to our past, by visiting other people who shared our experiences there. We live today, returning to a lot of yesterdays, some pleasant and some we’d just as soon forget.

Some day, we will all “return” to our ultimate home, whatever one envisions that to be, the earth, at the very least, and “heaven,” if we are lucky. In the meantime, it’s a good idea to make sure the sink is scrubbed, the floors are clean, and that our “paperwork” is in order. The new year is a good time to think about your personal documents such as wills, bank accounts, etc. Not to be morose and dwell on a subject most people do not wish to think about, I’ll say that death is just another journey, the final one of many “trips” we will take. It’s always good to plan ahead.

As for me, I’ll try to avoid leaving dust bunnies under the bed. How about you?

Patricia