For a number of years, I’ve been shuffling half-finished projects from one place to the other. It is time to get serious about finishing all of them. I don’t know if I will be successful in doing that or not, but I have a plan. I’ll give away those items that I no longer have an interest in completing, for one reason or another.

I’ve made a serious stab at starting, today. I have a 12 block friendship quilt that has signatures and messages from people I treasure. I used African theme fabrics in putting it together. Luckily, I had a piece of linen/cotton fabric in my rag bag that was just the right size, and I had a piece of batting that was just right. Pulling out a piece of African fabric from a shelf, I’ve now made a bias binding, and just have to finish sewing it on, making a label for the back, and deciding how and where I might like to hang it.

Reading the loving and warm messages of friends (and loved ones) was a good reminder to me that I have wonderful friends, all over the country and all over the world. I have been very blessed in this life, and I feel lucky, every day, for all that I have been able to do to make a difference in the lives of others.

Sometimes, it takes very little to resume being happy. When I learned that the deer have been back in the yard, eating perennial Sweet Peas, I was so pleased that they could find something worthwhile to eat in this bitter cold. When I see photos of my grandchildren, so adorable and healthy and learning, every day, I am happy that I have lived long enough to see all of that, given my various medical conditions. This afternoon, I listened to “Selected Shorts,” a program of short stories, read by professional actors. I have just submitted a short story of mine to a contest, and however it turns out, does not matter. What matters is that I did it!

Yes, the attitude of gratitude makes it easy to re-program one’s mind from the troubles of the world. Hearing music that I like always improves my mood and gives me a very happy feeling. The world is full of wannabees, nitwits, and people who continually make mistakes. Once one tries to understand them, it is easier to cultivate a feeling of forgiveness. They are “doing the best they can.” In the end, aren’t we all?

Back to my quilt!

Patricia Cummings

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at 6:27 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.