Let there be peace on earth

As I prepare to wrap up one year and dream of what the new year will bring I can't help but reflect on all that I have to be thankful for.  It's the simple things that make everything else worth while.  Thanks to Laura Cater-Wood, I have a new appreciation of how a simple word can prompt a sense of wonder, joy, and prompt  a moment of quiet contemplation.  I am thankful for a sense of hearing.

I have several new heros this year who make me appreciate good health and mobility. Three are women friends who have battled cancer this year with the courage of an astronaut traveling into uncharted territory.  One of them went into her first round of chemo kicking and screaming "why me, what did I do to deserve this".  By the end of the day she was wondering what she had done to deserve these wonderfully trained health professionals who were leading her through the valley toward good health and the friends who were there by her side to help shoulder the scarey parts.  Another hero is my little brother, after being struck by a car and left with 23 major bone fractures.  After 5 days on a ventilator and questions of his ability to survive his extensive injuries,  he opened his eyes looked at his wife of 25 years and formed the words, "Will you marry me".  The good news, it wasn't a reflection of a closed head injury, he was looking forward to being around another 25 years.  Five months later, he is now able to stand and walk a little bit.

I am so lucky to have good vision,  The things I've seen this year are source of great inspiration, wonder and respect for the creators and the creator.  Signing on to the Quilt Art Group has exposed me to the most talented and adventuresome quilters I had ever imagined.   Because of their generous sharing of the techniques that distinguish their work  I have been able to grow in my quilting and art work.  Thanks to Larkin Van Horn, I had admired her work through her web site for a couple of years and then she taught a class at Fabrications Retreat in August and I got to see her work in person.  Thank God for the gift of sight.  She exceeded my expectations as a teacher.  I am so lucky to have a husband who says, "go, learn, have fun and live your dream" 

And dream I do,  I have been working on a business plan and have been taking steps to begin marketing my work.  The web site is in the works, but the fellow who is doing it for me said I needed to develop some computer skills so that I can participate in the process and maintenance of the site.  I started taking computer classes in November and have made a little bit of progress.  

Thanks to the  Pentamere Winery.  They invited me to hang a solo show of my little quilts and it turned out to be a great sourse of encouragement.  Now I need to use that confidence to reach out to my target market.  I have  found a computer coach/tutor who will come to the house and teach me the tricks I need to know to include photos of my work on this blog.  I will look forward to the feed back that is so important to motivate a person. 

Enough rambling, let me end with a wish for you, that the new year finds you rich with hope, friends, family, love and an appreciation of all or your senses.  And that the sweet taste of success  in what ever challenges you face, will be enough to sustain you through adversity.   Merry Christmas and Happy New Year