Inspiration

Recently, a very good friend of mine told me about her seven-year-old grandson.  She asked me to pray for him because he is extremely ill.  He was born pre-mature and as a result of that he now suffers many complications where his health is concerned. My friend told me that for some time after the birth of her grandson they were uncertain if he would survive.  She told me about how they could hold him in the palms of their hands after he was born.  He's a real sweetie and a fighter, too.  I  think he gets that from his grandma; she has been battling stage-4 cancer for some time now.  This particular friend is such an inspiration to me and I was glad to pray for her and her family.  I have had the pleasure of working next to this lady for 8 years now and I can tell you that I always come away amazed by her and her remarkable attitude and faith.

Well, one night while I was trying to go to sleep I was suddenly struck with the idea to crochet something for this sick little boy.  My daughter has been doing some amigarumi lately and I thought that that would be perfect. Amigarumi is the Japanese art of crocheting small animals, dolls, creatures, etc.  I was so excited to ask her the next morning what she thought about my idea.  I was thinking these little animals might be a perfect gift for taking along on trips to the doctor's office and hospital.  They are small enough to hold without getting in the way of any types of treatments or care that the little guy might be going through.  My daughter loved the idea as much as I did and she already had the perfect animal worked up, a tiny little lion.  I decided to try my hand at amigarumi, something I swore I would never do, and crocheted him a hippo.  Amazingly, I really liked amigarumi!

I gave the new toys to my friend last week and she tells me that her little grandson instantly loved them.  He was just thrilled with them and didn't want to put them away.  I am always happy to hear when people enjoy my work but there is just something special about making a child's life a little happier.  It's so incredible to me that some string, a hook, some stuffing and some safety eyes, and a little time can alleviate some of life's pain for another person.  Imagine what could be  done  if we threw all of ourselves into helping others in life.  I have been inspired to give this more serious thought, that's for sure.

Sweet thank-you note from my friend's gandson.  How precious is this?  Very!  It is I who shold be thanking you, Cole.

Gearing Up

Whew, it's almost the middle of March!  Where has the time gone to?  Spring is officially here in 12 days so that means it's definitely time to be kicking into high gear in order to be ready for craft show season.  I am already beginning to feel that familiar anxiousness that wells up inside when I begin thinking about my table, display, inventory, etc. before the season gets underway.  Will I have enough items?  Will the items I do have be marketable?  Will people like my work?  Does my table look professional?  Shoot, do I look professional for that matter?  The list of questions goes on and on and on.  In fact, I was exhasuted yesterday and was looking forward to an early night with some good sleep. But, alas, it was not to be.  I dreamed all night long about sewing together this purse that I am working on!  What???  Yeah, I make the mistake of looking forward in the pattern before I went to bed only to discover that I did not understand something in the fianl stages to complete it.  Well, I guess my mind would not let go of  not understanding what to do next and so decided to help me work it out vs. sleep.  UGH!

Any of my fellow artists out there feeling the same way?  If so, what do you do to keep the stess of the craft season in perspective?