Pushing Back ~ Victory Garden ~ March 2021

My first opportunity to  teach Textiles came with an office. I should rephrase this-- it came with a desk in a group office in what was essentially a hallway for students on their way to the design lab. In some ways, it was good.(Remember, I'm a 'half-full' person. ) Interaction with students was a bonus, you saw who was actually going to class, and you might just be lucky to overhear valuable chatter that might serve in connecting with these students. We were the 'Core' class teachers. Math, English, but I was a cross-over. I taught Textiles. Textiles is a 'Core' class for students studying Interior or Clothing Design. So a few years in,  I was migrated to an office where instructors from my field of study were collected. I knew I had arrived. But with that move came unbeknownst to me, the added joy of the sound of the 10:00 opening of Lord & Taylor Department store, and the escalator grinding directly over my head.  As glamorous as it was to be working in the 'lower floor,' aka-the basement- of Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, GA, there were trade offs. 

Embroidery Enthusiast ~Indian Rocks Beach, FL 1982 

Being able to focus in the midst of chaos has long been a skill of mine. And it's paying off in spades this year. My 'office,' once a front living room, is more like a hallway on the way to the kitchen, a pitstop to change the thermostat, and most commonly, a resting spot for Henry while he checks the recipe he's cooking up on his cellphone, with a spatula dripping in hand. But its mine. I have a space. I have shelves full of my books, drawers full of sewing supplies, and a furniture layout that only a creative could appreciate. I'll take it. 

Staying in the midst of life, while finding your 'niche' is important. Living 'in the world, yet not of it,' is critical. Engaging in discussion without accepting every idea has long been appreciated- So I am less morphed by every sway of the wind, and am now pushing back on the parameters of my tiny universe.

Burning off the leaves in our updated garden space. 2021

 'No man is an island,' said John Donne, and I fully agree.  Community is precious, yet our exposure to every conceivable notion is more like a fire hydrant sourced by the ocean, and our ability to drink deeply of a wholesome idea and develop that interest is swept away far to soon, before we are able to offer it opportunity to take root. We are often even ridiculed for going back to the 'old things,' when we don't embrace the 'new.' Nothing 'new' is ever found under the great orb, yet it seems to come at us faster these days, and with a renewed sharpness to shame, even cancel. So here's me, pushing back. Looking back into the hills, from whence cometh my strength. 'Let us not grow weary in well doing,' And all That. Timeless truths, shining onto the new and the old, lighting every path. Once again, finding a foothold in my little corner of the world.

My Nana's sewing box and 'all the things...' 

Food, Marriage, & Athiesm

Did I get your attention?

I have 2 books on my shelf by Douglas Wilson, author of Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, and most recently I obtained a copy of Repairing the Ruins. I've 'bout memorized the first, still have yet to move on to the latter. However, the interest is revived. Like the time I met John Rosemond, I'd probably fall mute if I met Wilson. You see, 'Lost Tools' is one of those books that changed my life. My perspective on education, the purpose of it & my responsibility in regards to it were profoundly impacted.

The reason I bring him up: I saw on Veritas at Home a reference to this movie. Most Recently he's appearing in a motion picture ' Collision', which chronicles, I believe, discussion and debate between Wilson & Kitchens, an atheist. I want to devote time to this, because it looks good. Really good.

But then there's also this book In Defense of Food, & this movie Food Inc. That also look good, informative, relevant. And are mentioned by Douglas Wilson on his blog in a bigger picture perspective. He's not a foodie, nor does he discount efforts of folks to care about what they eat and where it comes from. But his perspective & opinion are an interesting angle, since my friend at River Rock Cottage, continues to make me think about food with all of her recent posts(thanks Amy!) The results from her poll have been tallied on where we get our produce.

But then I realize, my attitude has, well been lacking grace. Not lacking so much in thanks, but mercy & grace to those around me. Anger seems to set in. And get ugly. First things first, came to mind....

So I jumped over to Femina, written by Nancy Wilson, Douglas Wilson's wife.

She seems to tap in with a live camera to my home sometimes, and then provides the bit of encouragment & conviction I need. From the perspective of a seasoned woman, older teaching the younger. The title of this blog post is 'Why men don't lead'. Perhaps your grace & mercy are up to speed, and it will only be an affirmation to you in how you effectively appreciate and love your husband. But either way, visit. Her insights are wide in many subjects. You won't be disappointed.

I hear smart people talk about the 'Great Conversation.' I think I've begun to meet folks like that, for instance, Edie at Life in Grace,who is an exceptionally interesting blogger who'll be speaking?/attending formally soon in a WWC(WorldWideConversation). But like living languages, the 'Great Conversation' takes on its own life. Another rabbit trail for another day.

That is just a smattering of what I read early this morning... we had alot of sleepless critters in our house last night. Real life. Not the brainier stuff. The simple stuff.

That's where my efforts need to focus, but sometimes the bigger perspective helps. Keeps my soul up and going. Focused on the Maker of all. The Source of love that will keep me from belittling others with whom I do not agree, in brainier matters, and keep me from forsaking the simple and often more challenging things in life. For even if I could prophecy, it wouldn't matter if I didn't have love.

That's why I'm reading the Daily Devotion. To seek Him who can complete what I can't, meet all the needs that human relationships can't, find wisdom that is true, complete & infinite, and be convicted when I neglect the Word.

So I wander back to the whole point of the Gratitude Community, realizing I haven't started my day right. Haven't been thankful, haven't been a part of HHC (His Holy Conversation). There's always a WWC, and there's alot worth listening to, good stuff, but not more important than prayer, especially thanks. It sets the tone, provides the antidote to my head's spinning over all the other things I can't sort out, make right, participate in, or even understand. His truth is truth. Better to start there.

Simple things I'm thankful for, after an exceptionally early rising...

Thank you Lord,

for the rain, that washes my mind.

for little kids who enjoy snuggling.

Toast and jelly. Kashi, grapes.

Coffee.

Carpools.

'Busytown' videos, for mornings that come waaay too early.

Husband who leads.

It's a start- Bible reading will have to wait, the urgent & important are awake. It would have been first, but this morning officially started in the middle of the night.

Monday mornings, I usually meet friends at the Gratitude Community. Join others who are counting One Thousand Gifts.

** Warning:** Sleep Depravity will cause blog linkage overload!! Read with caution..zzzzz

Computer Fasting

Computer overload... now my schedules on my computer too. What I could learn from this experiment....(20 Things I learned in a week without a computer.)

Visiting 'Diary of an Accidental Farmwife' blog proved very helpful for me tonight. Reading her post 'Let it Be' shared the thought 'Character is Cumulative.' After reconnecting with several old friends on FB, I'm glad to read this and hope that they know this too. Your past is what it is, even if it's only a few days old. You can only do the next right thing. Whatever that may be for you. And letting it go, may be just that. In order to move on to that which God has in store. Thankyou blogger friend.....for sharing your thoughts.