PORCH CHATTER: THE PRESENT MOMENT

There are many paths that bring us to where we are at this present moment.  My paths have included joy, sorrow, pleasures, pain, and surprises along the way.

The path of motherhood has brought me a deep joy and profound gratitude for a precious bundle that arrived in my life.  The surprises and pleasures of watching a new little being evolve into a strong, mature adult with children of her own still makes my chest swell!  This path certainly changed (and continues to change) my life forever!!

Another path that has significantly changed my life was begun thirty-six years ago today.  I became a widow at a very young age.  The life lessons on this path were overwhelming at times and most comforting at other times.  Recognizing that each day is a gift has been the greatest life lesson I have taken from this.  Being grateful in the beauty of the moment. 

 I had to find solid footing again after the chaos of monumental change.  Trust did not come easily.  Knowing that I had to put my faith in a power that was so much greater than I became a comfort over the years.  This catastrophic event has molded me into a woman of strength; a woman of gratitude; a woman who is flexible, and can accept change with a minimum of angst.

The woman who was emerging from the ashes of a life (as she had known it) was becoming a woman with confidence.  This woman knew she was a survivor!  Gratitude slowly surfaced in this living day-by-day pattern.  Seeing beauty and joy even in the worst of times became the sunrises of each day.  Knowing there was a Comforter ever present became the sunsets.

Being content to live the moment brought me to another life-changing path to my present moment.

I was given another chance at sharing my journey with a life partner.  This newly emerging woman with confidence, strength, and determination was once again blessed by her Maker with a partner who accepted, respected, and loved her completely.  A man who was willing to help her become the woman she was designed to be.  A life mate who supports and shares her ambitions and her creativity.  The man who makes my life a joy everyday as this path of my journey continues . . .

Many paths have brought me here and there are still paths to follow.

"It is about coming to realize you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely the path that is your life."  -Jon Kabat-Zinn

I realize these are my paths and I am choosing to live each day on each path to the fullest!  My eyes are always open to find the new paths. . .

                            -sandi
 

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!

Well, just let me tell you that I was in the third grade before I knew that my birthday did NOT come on Labor Day each year.  My mom always said that I was born on Labor Day, so I thought that meant that was when my birthday happened.  In the third grade, this Miss Smarty-Pants girl informed me in front of all my classmates that my birthday had to come on a different day each year.  I went home and asked my mother what day was my birthday and she said "You were born on Labor Day".  "But", I said, "Miss Smarty-Pants so-in-so said that Labor Day cannot be my birthday every year."  So my mom explained to me that my birthday is September 6th.  Now that I am older and can celebrate my birthday whenever I want, I choose to celebrate my birthday for the entire week of Labor Day.  So there!!!

This is the Labor Day Week!!!

Over the weekend my daughter, Heather, and one of my grandsons, Nick, came for a visit and brought me a birthday present.

Another flamingo for my "flock".  This one is wearing a tin "grass" skirt.  I just love her 'tude.

Yesterday a friend of mine rang the door bell and arrived with something for me.

Balloons . . .

A cute card with something "special" inside.

and cupcakes!!!  She told me this gift was from my Piecemakers Bee group, whom I lovingly refer to as the Pbees.  These wonderful gals meet with me monthly and we have such a fun time!  Thank you Pbees!!!!

This is a special year!  I am on the verge of entering the seventh decade of my life.  This amazes me.  I have always thought I would live a long life, but little did I know that the years past 50 would be my absolute best!  It does not seem like I am one of those "old ladies". 

I feel that I am in the prime of my life and am so happy living my life to the fullest.  Each day I choose what I want to do and follow through with lots of activities.  I enjoy walking and doing Yoga and weight lifting and cooking and quilting and painting.  I try to incorporate all of this physical exercise into every day.  It is a great feeling to know that I can still bend over to touch my toes and that I can do squats and get back up.  LOL

A few years ago my sister gave me this card and I framed it to hang in my Studio.

"Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, give yourself to it." 

I have chosen my work and I am diligent in pursuing my journey.  I love to quilt and I love to teach.  Two things I do almost daily!
It is critical for me to produce and to use every minute of my time.  Sometimes I sit and meditate and other times I make something.  I learned the importance of meditation several years ago.  It is such a rejuvenating exercise.  I used to think that meditation required me to sit in a dark room with special music.  Now I know that any time I spend with myself and listen to my inner soul is meditation.

In the next five years my work plan includes finishing as many WIPs as I possibly can in my Studio.  I have many of these incomplete projects that I am still interested in doing. 

I have devised a plan to do this and each month I have my hubby choose a WIP number from my jar and that is the one I work on that month. Sometimes the project takes more than one month. I am okay with that.  I do not wear a watch because I want to live the moment not watch the moment.  So I simply work on a project until it is completed - whether it takes a week or more than a month.  Taking the pressure off of "should" and "have to" has made me a stronger and happier woman.

 There are other unfinished projects that I have decided I am no longer excited about.  I have already passed on a few of these to a friend of mine who rescues "orphan" blocks and re-purposes them and donates them to charity.  I will start another box for her.

An immediate high priority task is to clean up my studio and organize all the leftover fabrics and patterns that I have used in the last 3 months.  I could tell myself that I will be more organized in the years to come and will always keep my studio orderly and tidy.  However, I have lived with me long enough to know that I am not a neatnik by nature.  I just have to tackle the Studio when it gets so messy I cannot stand it anymore. In the meantime, I will also be creating something. 

It is important to me to live life to the fullest and include my friends in my daily journey.  Over the years I have begun to cherish my friends who make me smile, challenge me to think, and who just brighten my day when I am with them.  These are the gals that I share my quilting passion with; they are those who engage in conversations that require me to try a new idea on before I discard it; and there are others who are my total opposite and I love listening to their passions.  I have a diverse group of friends --  some are artists, some are musicians, some are geeks, and some have such a super sense of humor that they keep me laughing until I have tears.  A few of my friends live a very structured life and they challenge me to appreciate their need to have that lifestyle.

My family brings me the self confidence to stand on my own two feet.  They have been the structure that I have needed to keep my feet on the ground when I tend to run off on tangents. I will give my all to my family when they need me and I strive to always accept them where they are in their journey. 

Coming to the end of my sixties has taught me that the majority of life is not about me.  Making others feel special gives me greater satisfaction than being the center of attention myself.

I know my strengths as well as my shortcomings.  I choose to focus on the strengths.  Shortcomings make a statement on their own and I find it unnecessary to emphasize them.  If I continually tell myself positive things, then I will hear more good than bad.

All of these ruminations must come to a close!  I am going to celebrate my birthday for the rest of the week and then I am going to live each day of the upcoming years as if it is the only day I have.  Would you like to join me?


                                       -sandi

THIS IS MY LIFE . . .

Mark Lipinski was kind enough to allow me to use his quote over here at the Pond.

It was years before I learned that I was fine the way I was as long as I was happy with me.  I spent way too many years trying to please too many people who really did not want to be pleased by me.

In the last ten years I have been on my own creative path to happiness and fulfillment.

I am my happiest when I am teaching and when I am producing.  I make lots of quilts and quilt projects.  I have often been asked "who are you making that quilt for?"  My answer, "No One".  Making a quilt is how my life is lived.

Each day is planned around how I will spend my creative time in the studio.  It has made me calmer and more tolerant in times of stress.

Sometimes a project is chosen to encourage me to trust my instincts of being an artist.  I used to think I was creative, but not artistic.  As the years are going by, I am finding myself a bit more artistic.

Stepping out of my box has been very liberating.  It has given me self confidence in the person I truly am.  I know I am not like some of my friends, but I like me and I like them.

Some things I am working on are making me set my goals and aims much higher.  It is even changing the level of my benchmark.

I was invited to be a pattern tester for a quilt pattern designer.  At first, I was flattered.  I think most people would be. As I worked that year testing the patterns of someone else, I began to see how her work evolved.  It gave me a new perspective on my work.

Life for me has taken so many twists and turns over the years and I have loved the journey.  I have been saddened, disappointed, and sometimes devastated.  HOWEVER,  from those experiences I have received some of the greatest joys I have ever known;  I have been uplifted in my own faith; and I have found amazing strength to carry on with my life. 

I often tell my quilting students that making a quilt is not about the quilt that you have when you are finished.  It is about the journey you took getting to the finish line.

Thank you, Mark Lipinski, for setting my thoughts in motion today to share some things I have had on my heart for a while.

I have truly embraced what makes me happy!!  I create quilts every day.  I love my family dearly.  I live each day.  I believe my "happily ever after" is happening at this very moment.

                                   -sandi