It's been quite a while since I've posted anything!! Master of the obvious, I am. LOL Lots of things going on...Most of it worrisome, at least in my mind! Truth is, I don't have all that many problems!! I'll explain more about that in a minute, though... I've never considered myself much of a worrier. I'm mostly an eternal optimist, much to the dismay of most of my friends. "You are the happiest person we've ever known!" people tell me. So what's got my panties in a wad for the last couple of months? One... I worry about not getting much done!! Last you heard I was struggling to finish projects for classes I was scheduled to teach in January. My great friend Jennifer, up from Florida to teach also (and nursemaid me!), stayed up with me into the wee hours of the morning two nights in a row, including the night before I taught Sam's Boxer Rebellion. I didn't get the top completely finished, but I did get the center together. Crisis averted. Sorta. :-D The original pattern is "Dizzy Geese" by Joan K. Streck in the book Quick Quilts from Your Scrap Bag. I haven't decided how to finish it yet, although the original pattern has a fabulous flying geese border. I worry that it'll be another UFO. :-P Likewise, another class had an unfinished sample. My Contrary Wife in Kansas quilt didn't get completed, but there was enough to demonstrate how it goes together to the class. Two... I worry about my new business. I made a major decision a few months after Sam passed away. They say you should wait a year after a tragedy to make any big changes, but I needed to find a way to do what matters most...bless people! And Mary Kay has given me a platform to do just that. And I'm loving my new business!! And I want to do well, as much to honor Sam's memory as to make extra money for my family. I'm working for some major goals...one of which is a top sales position which would garner me a diamond ring (2.45 carats) and (what I really want:) the opportunity to make a speech to 15,000 women at our annual Seminar!! (If you don't have a consultant, feel free to follow the link to order products online!) I'd get to talk about what inspired me; I'd get to talk about Sam! It's sometimes hard to be focused, though, when there are other things I want to do. I was doing some Farmer's Wife blocks at a hotel a couple of weeks ago while Jeff attended meetings. My poor old sewing machine had been neglected. Luckily Mary Kay came to the rescue when I didn't have a machine brush handy!! LOL Three... I worry about talking about Sam too much. I told a friend a few days ago that some days missing him is a palpable ache with many tears. Other days I can laugh and miss him with great joy. But I worry that his name comes too easily to me. I worry that I'll bore you and other friends to tears with it. I've been so excited by the precious gift my friend Pat-from-upstate-New-York arranged for me....the fabulous Judi at Green Fairy Quilts will be quilting Sam's Darlin' Hearts!!! But I've hated to mention it because this is a blog about quilting, and not about grief or Sam. He is part of the fabric of my life, so it's OK to share, but I worry that I overdo it. But it's time for some perspective on my worries!! "Therefore, I tell you," Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, "do not worry about your life..." (v. 25) The Apostle Peter admonished, "Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7) And given that tornadoes destroyed some 65 homes and injured 200 or more people this past weekend (including a dear friend's daughter who lost part of her leg) just a couple of miles from my home (and our porch furniture didn't even move! We had NO damage!! Thank the Lord!), my worries seem very small indeed. What worries you? Did you know the word "anxieties" in the passage from I Peter can also be interpreted as "divisions"? It indicates a heart divided...whose focus is on worries or self instead of wholly centered on God. So I'm puttin' ol' Bobby McFerrin on in the soundtrack of my mind. "Don't worry, be happy!" God is too good and life is too short to worry too much!! Blessings!! P.S. A hearty big ol' "Thank you!!" to all you who wrote, worried about me!!! Your concern and good words were such a blessing!!! I hope to get back into the swing of things. :-D I've missed you all greatly!