my father is a carpenter. that is not his day job, but for me, that is his essence. c asked my dad recently, "what knocks your socks off" and my dad's first response was, "making that first cut in a piece of wood. you never know what you're going to find. sometimes the grain surprises you, or a knot appears. and it's just cool."
this resonated with me. i have it in me to be a carpenter--some day when i have the space and the tools--but what essentially roots me is creating. feeling connected with a place (all the spaces i have lived and created); connected with people (who sit under my quilts or walk on my mosaic stepping stones); and connected to an idea. when i am sewing or breaking tiles, the world becomes much smaller. it slows down and becomes bite sized. i have time to think about the people in my life, about the goodness i know is in the world. it's not that i forget that tragedies occur (the recent shooting at Virginia Tech doesn't disappear) but i get to think about my own world, my own bubble.
i think about my grandma j and about how many lives she touched. her door was always open and it wasn't uncommon to hear stories about people whose car broke down along the stretch of highway near their home. she and my grandpa would bring them in, give them food and comfort while they waited for a rescue. years later these folks would still stop by to say hello and give their thanks. they'd stop by to share a meal. of all the people in the world, i am most rooted to her. to be as good as she was. never boasting. always praying. baking and visiting her friends as they aged faster than she did. keeping the door open for anyone that needed it. i think she approached people the way my dad approaches wood: pleased to discover each person's grain and gently handling their knots.
and hopefully, the more people we meet, the more kindness we spread, the more ripples we send out to keep that change happening. i'm not out there in Afghanistan or beyond, but i know people who are and i like to think my roots entwine with theirs and yours to keep them strong while they do the hard work of making the world a better place.
10 comments:
This is wonderful. My father said a similar thing regarding carving wood. It was a lovely post- thanks
Lovely, I like your comparison of life to woodcarving and I agree about the worlds shrinking when you're making things or engaged in a task.
Wonderful words. I liked the connection part of it very much, connected with a place, with people with an idea....
gautami
Rooted
... the more people we meet, the more kindness we spread, the more ripples we send out to keep that change happening.
This is such a lovely and valuable idea. I enjoyed reading your contribution to SS.
Beautiful post. I, too, love the process of creating. I like the connection you make between discovering the grains/knots in wood and people--finding value in what makes them special and unique.
I really like your post. What a beautiful photo.
Before I had seen the others' comments, I had copied the line "and hopefully, the more people we meet, the more kindness we spread, the more ripples we send out to keep that change happening." I, too, agree with Ally that it is a marvelous sentiment. I want to remember that always.
gentle, beautiful...a written nutrient that heals. great post.
Tiny noises covered a lot of ground here! Huge ideas expressed in small images, bit like a mosaic really. I liked the taking joy in people, knots and all.Thankyou
I love that: she treated people the way your father approached wood, pleased to find their unique grain and gentle with their knots.
You are a gem.
x
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