Count Your Blessings Name them one by one

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
    And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Blank books are a passion. There’s nothing like opening one up, putting pen to paper, letting words flow from the heart, and mind to the page allowing the soul, the person to live in a moment, to process a moment of life. As the book opens I take a deep breath inhaling the promise of the book. It’s rare that I write on the last page, there’s something about leaving that empty that feels like I’m continuing the journey, the journaling never quite ends.

Every now and again a trip to a book store and more blank books come home with me. I spend more time looking at them then books that are filled with words, though those hold a lot of promise. Culturally, and personally there are new beginnings, one at the beginning of a new year, the turn of a calendar page, moving from one year to the next; another is in the fall, there is something of an experience of a new beginning then. Perhaps because it’s the beginning of another school year, or simply because I love fall. Sometimes beginnings come in other ways.

Sometimes reading a book is a new beginning. I’m joining Mary de Turris Poust reading her book Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles With Food, Self-Image, and God. On Mary’s blog there are a couple of links to purchase the book and join the Cravings Tribe. I don’t know where this journey will lead but from the first moment she posted this on facebook something has been drawing me in that direction. I’m going on this journey. I’ll post here along the way…and see where it leads.

As I reflect a little more on 2016, as difficult as it was, it wasn’t all bad. There were some really good experiences (blessings) along the way. While I didn’t get to quilt as much as I would have liked I did get to finish a quilt that just spoke deeply to my heart. Teaching new machine owners how to use their machines was such a blessing. I love teaching, and honestly I love helping people find the machine that is best suited to them. This teaching sustained me through the year. I made some new friends! I love making new friends, spending time with them, particularly when it intersects with my quilting world. I got to meet a few people I’ve admired for a long time. What a bonus! I’ve worked on developing some quilt/work related relationships, while I have a lot to grow, strides are made.

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in a quilterly way this year. I’ve got two quilts to turn around this week. I love that I get to quilt for one of my favorite vendors. Lovely folks, with great quilting sensibility and generous hearts. I’ve also renewed Lucy’s Nickles on facebook and am leading a whole cloth quilting journey with the group. You’re welcome to join. I’m working on the design and will share that the first week in February.

Thank you God for all of the blessings, the ones I see and the ones that I don’t; the ones that offer opportunities for growth and deeper trust in You.

God Bless!

Teri