Inspiration

If you've been following me for any period of time, you'll know that over a year ago, we needed to move my dad into a home for dementia patients. It was a very hard decision, but, fortunately, the right one. He is happy there. He thrives in the routine and quiet. And, my Mom can visit with him daily, without being his primary caretaker.

A few days ago, when I went to see him, he was vacant. I couldn't get a response from him... no hint of recognition... and he seemed deep in his own world. I came home and wrote a blog... one I intended to share today. It made me cry... you would have cried when you read it, too. But, yesterday, when we went to visit him for his birthday, it was a wonderful visit. Michelle's children were able to snuggle with him, and there was pure joy on his face. It was a wonderful day.

I know that there will be more and more days when we won't be able to make my dad smile. I know it will continue to get harder and harder to get through to him, but yesterday WASN'T one of those days. Yesterday, if even for a minute, we had a part of "Papa" with us, so no tears today.

EDIT: Just for me... Just for the record... these are photos I took of Dad 2 days ago. A very mysterious disease, indeed...

I grew up on Joni Mitchell. She is a gifted song writer and a talented performer. Still, to this day, I will frequently have a night with Joni. I'll dim the lights, light a few candles, get a lovely glass of red wine, put on Joni Mitchell's Blue album, and as if in H. G. Wells' time machine, be whisked back to my college years. If pushed to choose, I'd have to say "Both Sides Now" is my favorite song she wrote, which ironically, was first made popular by Judy Collins, not by Joni herself. But, perhaps, this is too much info, because all I really want to do here, is to pull some lyrics from that song : )

"There's something lost but something gained in living everyday."

As time marches on, and things change on a daily basis, I am well aware and thankful for what's been gained, but I'm also painfully aware of what has been lost. Not wishing to become overly morose, I'll focus on one singular item, dare I say "tradition" that is almost lost... and that is "the letter".  

There was a time when going to the mailbox was motivated by something completely different than checking for boxes from Amazon. Without the internet, the mailbox was a portal to the outside world. As a child I'd check the mailbox for letters from penpals, chain mail, letters and postcards from friends that were away at camp and vacations, and important correspondences from The Beatles' Fan Club of which I was a card carrying member, thank you very much :)

As a teen, the mailbox was the source of anticipation and angst, while sending and receiving the most delicious of all letters... the LOVE letter. I remember writing long letters on the thin "airmail paper" to a heart throb that went to Switzerland for a year as a foreign exchange student. At the bottom of each page I wrote: O.D.W.W.B.M. Every time I'd get a response from him, he'd ask... "What does O.D.W.W.B.M mean?" I told him I'd tell him later. "Later" never came. At that time I truly believed he was the love of my life, and that someday he'd be my husband. On the day of our marriage I would reveal to him that O.D.W.W.B.M. was short for "One Day We Will Be Married". I wanted him to know that I knew it was true love from the very beginning. As it turned out, we didn't marry, which is probably a good thing since we really had nothing in common, but writing and waiting for responses from him was the single most important experience I had my senior year in high school.

 It is hard for young people today to fully understand how difficult and costly it was to communicate with friends and loved ones. Today, with cell phones, texting, twittering, and Skyping, every thought you have can be shared, at any given moment, with others. Because of the high cost of long distance calls back then, we had to rely on letters. I can remember writing a 26 page letter to my sister-in-law about my birthing experience with Michelle, only to turn around and write another letter, of similar length, to a good friend.

But writing letters helps us become word smiths. Today's communications call for quick response time. When you write a letter, you have all the time you need to contemplate your words. Your vocabulary is as vast as the dictionary that sits beside you, and the words, once written and sent, become a permanent record of events. Much of history is based on letters that were preserved through time. I have a stack of letters that I have received over time, and although they will never be of any historical value, they do take me back to special moments in my life, that I can easily relive by reading the letters.

Time goes by, technology changes the way we live our lives. I do not wish to give up my cell phone or my ability to Skype. Although 2 of my children live out-of-state, these technologies help me feel very connected to them. I get a text from a son when shopping, asking for the ingredients to my stroganoff. Another son takes a video of his daughter running in circles (which he use to do) and sends it off to me... I get it immediately. Something is "gained". And, although letter writing may never be as important as it once was, we don't need to lose its magic completely.

If you want to tickle a friend, write her a letter. If you want to touch your partner's heart, send him a love letter. If you want to instill a love of language in children, write them letters. If letter writing becomes routine between you and a child, he will experience the anticipation of receiving letters and joy of crafting letters in return.

One of the perks of letter writing, is the ability to select beautiful stationery and note cards. It is also fun to create your own. Also, I like to keep small "tuckables" around to add to letters I write to children. The meekest of tokens become treasures when received in the mail.

Do you have someone in your life that would be thrilled to receive a letter? I'm betting you do :)      

Photo 3-1-13

January 2. The house is unbelievably quite. The children are all gone, the hubby is back to work, and after a VERY quick glimpse at CNN, I find myself back at the computer, after a 2 week hiatus. I scan Pinterest, looking for my daily dose of inspiration, and find myself strangely apathetic. Of course, as always, there is talent galore out there, but I guess I'm simply not in the mood for anything "New". How strange is that? It's the New Year. Aren't we suppose to embrace transformations and resolve to change? Yet, this year, I find I don't want to change or to forge ahead. Rather, I feel the strange pull to backtrack a bit. I want to hit my shelves that are ladened with unfinished projects, and, well, finish a few. I don't want to consider our next business adventure, but rather reassess the validity of those with which we are currently involved. Frankly, I simply want to wallow in the here and now, content, satisfied and, yes, even gratified. Life is good. I don't feel the need to change.

Of course, later in the day, or the week, my soul will begin to crave the onslaught of creative input. But for now, finishing what I've started, works for me. Top on my list? Work on an afghan I began for Michelle, oh, 5... maybe 8 years ago! Pictured above is a Fishermen's Afghan I knitted for myself some 30 years ago. It is still a family favorite that gets used almost everyday. If someone is very close to me, chances are I have knitted this same afghan for them over the years. Michelle's house is all denim and khaki. Very cozy and comfortable. She chose a yarn that is reminiscent of a well worn pair of jeans. Today, with snow piled up outside, I plan to put a log on the fire, watch a couple of my favorite Christmas movies that I didn't have time to view over the holidays, and gently, quietly, usher in the New Year.

Wishing everyone the same joy and contentment I feel as we begin 2013! Much love!

For those of you that follow me on One Generation to Another, today I'm sharing a lesson in gratitude that I learned from my Bushia many years ago. Please join me HERE :)

We have received MANY emails asking us if everything is okay, and if we are continuing Wee Folk Art. I know our postings have been rather sparse these days. I've written everyone the same answer, and thought it might be easier to just do a quick blog entry. Here is my "standard" reply :)

Yes, we do plan to keep up Wee Folk Art, however, there have been so many things, both good and trying, happening in real life, and that comes first :) There was a time when I "announced" when we were a bit too busy to blog, but Michelle and I decided that we want Wee Folk Art to be a non stressful place, so we blog when we can and feel no guilt when we can't :)

The good news is, even in our busiest times, all of our back content is always available :) So, never give up on us, check back with us often, use our archives, and if you have a Facebook account, make sure you "like us" because we always link to our latest WeeFolkArt.com postings there.

BTW... it's nice to be missed. Thanks for noticing :)

So, there you have it. We are still here, no major announcements, just other pursuits are using more of our time. We have a new craft coming up this week, so watch for it :)