How are we halfway into January already? How does time just keep passing like this??? To be honest, one of my greatest fears is to fall into the "adulthood" trap of cyclically going to work, coming home and getting ready for work the next day, not accomplishing anything meaningful and barely noticing time passing. (
This scares the bejeesus out of me).
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| Completed scrappy village sent in by Mina |
But... I do have to earn money to be able to eat and keep the cats in comfort. And sometimes you have to play the work game and climb the ladder if you want to make a bigger impact.
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| Pretty gardening themed quilt sent in by Barb |
At the risk of sounding like a spoiled millennial snowflake, I don't want to lose my greater purpose in pursuit of just getting through the day. It's so tempting to get bogged down in the details, but it's better for me and everyone around me if I keep my focus on
why I'm doing this and where I'm heading. (I was raised Baptist, so the phrase "Be in the world but not of the world" comes to mind.)
January is always hard, though. I think January is hard for a lot of people. Another year older and you really have to look at where you are and what you've accomplished, which inevitably isn't what you hoped. Am I really making progress? Or am I on the typical American treadmill going nowhere and just fooling myself?
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| Beautiful scrappy top by Nettie, quilted by Kathy. |
Anyway, I wanted to say that
Covered in Love is the thing that I do to feed my soul and remind me why I go to work and why I'm still pursing whatever I'm heading toward. And I want to say an especially huge thank you to all of you who contribute to keep it going, because I started this when I was in school and if it weren't for all of you I wouldn't be able to keep it going now that I have a full time job.
Hugs, quilts, and cats. -Kat.
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| So dignified |
Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 500 so far! The Jan/Feb drive is going on now. Check out the main post
HERE if you want to get involved.
Linking to
Confessions of a Fabric Addict and
Finished or Not Friday
It's all about balance. And if you find yourself in a job where that is all you think about, THEN it is time to rethink that job/career. I go to work so I can afford fabric (and cat food...), but quilting is my reward. But I also enjoy going to work because I get to interact with people. And, let's be honest, some days the quilty stuff is just not going right and it's a relief to HAVE to do something else!
ReplyDeleteYou have to keep looking at the overall picture and the day to day. If you look over your blog, you will sse what you did far overshadows the norm of most. What you did, or enabled to get done, far exceeds what could be purchased or consumed. Your patients and quilt recipients will never be able to tell you how you performed, but you have brought them something intangible and transcendent that feeds their humanity and soul. Keep looking over the long haul, but count the joy of every stitch and show of compassion. I think you are terrific and motivating. I love to read your blog. Do not get weary in doing good.
ReplyDeleteI also have a full time job now and can't sew like I would love. I think it's great that you kept up CIL and I hope to be back to help out with some blocks here and there. I have some orphan blocks and stuff that I'm wondering if I should pass along to you. Would you be interested in some odds and ends - maybe some of your angels one day would find them useful for a quilt top.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I so enjoyed this, but I gotta say, it only keeps getting worse, Time marches on relentlessly! Everyday I look in the mirror and ask How did I get so e***ing old (68)!?
ReplyDeleteI really do think Life would be easier (more enjoyable?) if we didn't know what was coming.
Another gorgeous batch of quilts from staunch supporters of the good work that you started, Kat!
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that the passage of time also can lead to MORE focus on what matters, and allows for our priorities to change and grow. Your career was the catalyst for Covered in Love, and I'm grateful for that! Here's to another year of compassionate, useful, hands-on lives :)
Hi Kat! I am 61 years old and still haven't fallen into "adulthood" trap. Your time is what you make of it - leave that scare behind. It doesn't warrant your energy one bit to expend for the worry about it because it isn't going to happen. Your charity work has shown and proven that you will always avoid that trap. Working and playing the game - now THAT you have to continue to do. Just to support your habit . . . and the cats . . . and to eat. AND, I also want to thank YOU for taking on all the charity work you do. If it weren't for people like you who spend endless hours organizing and asking for help in the form of blocks, that people like me would just aimlessly sew quilts. It makes me (and many others) feel good to make and send you blocks to help others. It's one of those things that you think I wish I could DO something, and then bam. Here's a reminder post from you, and yes you can DO something. Checking out this month's block right now. ~smile~ Roseanne
ReplyDeleteLove the quilts from Mina, Barb & Nettie. It's so heart warming to see the love that your supporters have for Covered in Love.
ReplyDeleteWhat you have done by starting CiL has been such a blessing to your community & the families who need the special love during their time of grief & sorrow. We've all been on that roller coaster of life where we think our world is just a cycle that's unending. Your purpose in life (CiL) has given quilters like me a purpose in life also. Just remember that what you have begun not only helps & blesses the recipients but it also helps those who support & participate in making CiL happen. Thank you so much for that you do to help us all.
I just want to echo what previous commenters have already said. You've given my life that much more purpose by giving me the opportunity to make and donate blocks, if not whole quilts, and the quilts you've organized to be made bless the lives of so many who need that bit of brightness in their lives. You're in my prayers - you'll get over this hump!
ReplyDeleteFocus on the fact that you are doing SEW much good, Kat!! Pleased to be here to help when I can. I support your mission in honor of my great grandfather who was from your area of Texas. Thank you for all you do!
ReplyDeleteTrue thoughts!! I worry about that too and getting to bogged down with the minute things.... I always hope that my Quilts of Valor does good things for others - but it is a real way for me to keep my sanity! You keep it up!! Enjoy the process - and know that you are spreading good into the world!
ReplyDeleteBecoming overwhelmed every once in awhile is normal. It’s a gentle reminder to just stop, drop your shoulders, take a couple of calming breaths, and remember that every day is a new day.You are an awesome person, doing an incredible service, and you love cats.
ReplyDeleteWhen you feel in a rut and that work has taken over your life it's a good time to step back and be intentional about finding me time, whether through quilting or exercise or getting out into nature and just being there. It's good to be reflective from time to time, but don't let it bog you down. Pick one thing to change or improve and move forward. I'm delighted to have found CIL and grateful for your dedication to keeping it going. Sending out blocks gives me an outlet to help others when quilting whole quilts to donate isn't feasible.
ReplyDeletePat
What the Bee-Jeepers you talking about? Is YOUR birthday in January too? We all get in ruts, in the old days we might have called it a groove on the 78 (record) where there was a skip and it kept repeating itself. Every day (like the movie Groundhogs day) repeating the last over and over again. Lately I've been in a rut, of NOT working on quilts but just reading hordes of blogs about them. As I've gotten older that seems to be what feeds me.
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