Makers Collage - coming in December from Windham Fabrics!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

LIFE is the act of Loving; so how can you not?

"My lifetime listens to yours"



How many of you talk to yourself, either out loud or just to yourself when you sew?  Or when you're working on something - creating something, building something, working on something...even washing the car?  

Admit it, you do it.  You play things over and over and over and over and over again in your head.  If only I had said this, if only I had thought of that.  If only it would have gone like this, if only I could have seen that.  Ooh, this is it; that sounds good; yea, yea, that's what I really thought - really meant.  Or meant to DO.

I was DOing just that tonite as I was sewing.  I just finished a Wedding Quilt and I was thinking about those two - - I emailed them so very excited that I had finished, as I put it, 'Phase I' of their 'lap art'.  And so tonite, while sewing something else (Road to California is just next week...look for new quilts, new quilts!!), I was thinking about them.  I was thinking how long it takes to make something, work on something, even wash the car.  How much life it takes.  And I thot - Life is the act of Loving.  Just that.  Just life itself.  Just living.

That's why I wanted to give them a quilt.  I realized.  Talking to myself as I was sewing.  Because some times, loving is just merely living
 Nothing more - absolutely NOTHING more than that.  And what a better world it all would be if we could just do nothing more than that.  By our very being, by our very nature, by every act in our day, by LIVING, we were LOVING?  Sewing is loving.  Cooking is loving.  Remember that challenge I gave you a few blogs ago - just randomly SMILING at strangers that you look at - and seeing them SMILING back - is loving. Just by the very act of liViNg lOVe,  it IS love.  And after a while, you don't even have to try.  It just IS.  Like making a quilt.  It just IS LOVE.  And for a wedding gift, for two persons starting a new life committed to each other - declaring their desire to stand by each other's side no matter what they're talking to themselves about - isn't the act of sewing a quilt, quilting a quilt, binding a quilt, giving a quilt - isn't it just LiFe as the aCt of lOVing?!??  So that's why I made that quilt, I said to myself.  Not because it was a cool wedding present, but because I wanted to give them love.  I wanted to symbolize their love.  

I wanted to live it to them. 

BOY, DOES THIS SOUND RIDICULOUS, YOU MIGHT BE SAYING RIGHT NOW.  RATHER CIRCULAR IN NATURE. GO WITH IT; READ IT, TAKE IT IN, DON'T TRY TO PICK IT APART PIECE BY PIECE; JUST LIVE IT. 

So I have yet another challenge for all of you.  

While you are practicing your quilting, your applique, or whatever it is that you do while you're talking to yourself, think about a way that you can live life as love.  Simply live.  Live love.  Live someone.  Pass on some LIVE.  Say "Hello, God LIVES you," as the (new) saying goes.

And by all means, keep quilting your love...and maybe it will catch on...

Natalie.

...I hope you like the sunrise pic...I have been catching a lot of green orbs lately...
...next post...Road to California, Ontario California...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Natalie, I had a great time today at the Plantation Store at Road to California Quilt Show. Thanks for helping me select fabrics to finish the borders, backing, and binding, of the flying geese baby quilt for my nephew's new baby.

I bought the fabrics used for the geese at an earlier show and they are PERFECT. Ryan proposed to his sweet bride, Jordana, in Hawaii, in the surf (no less) so I know that they will love this quilt for their firstborn.

Thanks for a fun time at the Store, Denise

natalie. beyond the reef said...

Cousin Barb says - those geese will be flying over...watching over your baby!!
As promised, check the blog again for pics of this beautiful project!!