Remember Me?

I could hardly believe it when I looked at the date of my last post and realized how long I'd been away from blogging. I hadn't intended to disappear, but there has been so much going on in my life and that of my family that I guess I needed all my energy to live it rather than write about it. Plus I've barely picked up a needle for much of the time, so there was little to say stitching-wise. While I was "away," though, I was warmed by the caring and thoughtful comments and emails of many of you following my message about my family member's illness. This is such a wonderful community - I think even if I never took another stitch I would want to remain part of it (not that there is any danger of that!) Thank you all for your kindness - it really meant more than I can say.

Things are going okay right now, although the situation is pretty scary - my family member has the same kind of cancer with which Senator Kennedy was diagnosed. The one bright spot is the renewed interest in brain cancer because of his illness; we hope it will beneft my family member in some way, though I'm so sorry he had to be the catalyst for all the attention (I'm from Massachusetts and this is a very big deal here).

I finally think I've gotten back into the stitching groove, though I don't have much to show for this lost six weeks. I didn't get very far with Schoolgirl Lessons; the silk floss left a residue on the linen whenever I frogged even a stitch. I've heard that others have had this problem as well (any suggestions?). It's faint, but it bothers me, so I've been kind of reluctant to spend much time on this piece. Just yesterday I decided that I need a new project, and I remembered that Tanya had recently posted this perfect teacher gift chart (she'd even sent me a copy of the chart when I had trouble downloading it), and although we will be giving my son's teacher a gift certificate to a local restaurant, I really had wanted to give her something handmade as well. So this is what I did last night:I must admit that I have been fretting a bit about this project, even though it's simple, because I know I won't be able to finish it before Wednesday, the last day of school. It is SO frustrating to be such a slow stitcher. I see the quick way so many people are able to stitch things up and I wish I was one of them, but whether it's technique or just the way my hands were made, I am definitely the tortoise and not the hare (and this time, the hare wins!) Many people have wisely said to me that it's the process and not the pace that matters, and I know that, but I can't help but want to turn things out faster. There is, as the saying goes, "so much to stitch, so little time," and I guess I just long to do more than I'm able.

That being said, part of a responsive reading we had in church today really resonated with me:
May we not let awareness of another's talents discourage us, or sully our relationships, but may we realize that whatever we can do, great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed.

So the next time I complain about being the slow stitcher (and I'm glad that blog name is taken, otherwise I would have been tempted to use it), please remind me of the statement I just posted. Those are my words to live by.

I'm so happy to be back among you!