Dream

I have just spent a few minutes rereading some of the family blogs I follow, and watching some of the precious videos.  Some family members are uncertain whether or not to continue blogging.  I encourage each of you to continue, even if it is once in a while.  For me as grandmother to the brood, the words and pictures you have taken the time to post are so valuable.  I love seeing and hearing about the special moments in your lives, and I thank you all for including us in your lives and helping us to share as your children make memories . Many of the times we are actually there and get to see the excitement, but even if we are there for the moment, it is wonderful to be able to relive that moment via computer.

I had the opportunity the other night to learn once again (even though I already knew it) how incredibly lucky we are in this family.  My friend works at the Dream Factory, an organization which funds dreams for ill children.  I have been volunteering there for about a year, but to this point had only been doing office tasks such as stuffing envelopes (although I did get to attend the fundraising hockey game and meet Andrew Ladd and Mark Stuart).  Friday night was the big fundraising auction, the Dream Factory's biggest fundraiser.  So off I went, put on my blue tshirt, and worked for the evening.  My jobs were first of all to register those attending, and to make sure each had the all-important paddle used for bidding on the silent and live auction items, and then to take the payments for the items sold.  The items up for auction were quite fabulous, but the most important ones were not physical things attendees could take home.

There were 47 lots in the live auction.  12 of these were dreams that children who are facing serious illness have.  Those attending could bid on these, and fund these children's dreams.  The dreams ranged from one as simple as a gaming system to a family trip to Venice so the child could ride in a gondola.  What overwhelmed me was the generosity shown by those attending.  These dreams were funded, and were funded generously.  I had trouble keeping the tears back as I processed the payments.

A very small portion of the evening was taken up by speeches.  One family spoke about the impact going to Disney had on their family when their young son was ill.  She said in part that we will never know how wonderful it was for all of them, the boy, his parents and his older sister, to be able to have a week without having to think about hospitals, needles, chemo, doctors, etc.  Sadly, the boy passed away shortly after their trip last year.

We are lucky.  We are lucky our children are healthy.  We are lucky we live in a community that supports organizations like the Dream Factory.  I am lucky I am healthy enough to volunteer.  I am lucky I have a family that loves us, and includes us in the joy of watching the young ones in the family grow and develop.  May it always continue.

To quilt or not to quilt

What is it about doing work with one's hands that is so satisfying?  When I used to pot, the feel of the clay on my hands as it went round and round on the wheel brought me an escape from reality, and the finished product usually brought some measure of satisfaction (or got smashed).  More recently, knitting and crocheting prayer and baptism shawls and blankets has been so good for my soul.  I relax more completely than in any other situation when I knit.  Actually, no day is complete without a little bit of knitting or crocheting, so there are always at least two projects on the go.  The patterns are uncomplicated or completely familiar, so my mind is free to wander.  Especially when I am using my favourite Sensations Angel Hair wool, which slips so easily through my fingers, all my senses are at peace. (Please, JoAnn Fabrics, do not discontinue carrying this wool!)

And then there is quilting, my latest endeavour.  As with most things, taking a course and learning to do it properly would be too easy.  Instead, I prefer to use the "try and try again" method, which leads to lots of ripping out and redoing. I realized that I wanted to try quilting when I received a quilt from "Victoria's Quilts" when I was going through treatment (thanks Arlis).  I hope some day to be able to make a few quilts for that organization, so that others may receive that very special gift. But I have learned that  quilting is not something that is in my nature.  I am not naturally a precise person - I have never followed the "measure a thousand times, cut once" school of thought.  However, I also hate to waste fabric, so I am learning patience and am learning to be more careful than I thought possible. I can't say that I yet find the peace and solace in quilting that I do in the other fabric arts. That may be because each time I quilt I am trying to do something different, so nothing is familiar.  I am also very much an amateur, a beginner, and have a long way to go before I reach my mother's level of expertise.  However, the satisfaction is there.  When I have finished a quilt, I love to spread it out and look at it, and to enjoy how the colours meld.

That satisfaction is fleeting, though.  I am also learning that as I work more on quilting, I am increasingly dissatisfied with past projects.  Those colours just aren't as great together as I originally thought, my stitching should have been much better, I could have cut that fabric with just a little more care.  To those who receive these early projects, ( and I have to give them away, because you can only use so many quilts) my apologies.  Hopefully these quilts will serve the immediate purpose of keeping you warm and cozy.  Hopefully also that in the future you will receive something made with a little more skill, but they will never come with more love.

                                                                   One in progress

A past project

The original family birthday quilt

.