But what I'm most grateful for is finding myself in a place where faculty are appreciated. That appreciation takes the form of food or a verbal thank you during meetings or supplies . . . on and on the list could go. It seems so simple and yet in so many places, berating seems to be the default, not appreciation.
Today, though, I want to post about summer gratitude, here in these waning days of summer. I've already touched on some of my gratitude, like for summer veggies which turns into good eating (in this blog post) and creative time with friends (in this blog post about making cut paper cards) and Music Week gratitudes of all sorts.
Earlier this week, I saw a Facebook post from Beginnings Quilt Shop about a birthday party for Georgia Bonesteel and inviting us all to stop by on Tuesday from 10-noon. I was relatively free, so I decided to pop by. And I'm so glad I did!
Georgia Bonesteel's books on lap quilting were some of the first I read, and while I never could figure out how to put the smaller quilted pieces together into a larger quilt, I was inspired by her work. I was one of the first ones at the shop, and I had a chance to tell her how much her work meant to me, and that felt great. I was not starstruck and mute, the way I have found myself in my younger years approaching writers whose work had meant a lot to me. She asked me what I was working on, and I had a photo on my phone that I pulled up, the one I posted Tuesday morning:
We chatted a bit more, and I moved over to get a piece of cake, so that I wasn't monopolizing her time--even though there weren't others waiting their turn.
I considered some pieces that had potential as a backing fabric for the quilt, but decided it was better to wait until I'm sure of how big a backing I need.
Yesterday I zipped down to the Spartanburg house to deliver yet another light fixture, in the hopes that we can get a final inspection on the fixer-upper house rewiring. In some ways, I don't mind. It's a lot less commuting than I do in the school year. I was also able to pay the water bill in person.
In the afternoon, I went to the Lutheran World Relief quilting group at Lutheran Church of the Nativity, the Lutheran church around the corner from my Arden house. They are a wonderful group, and I'm happy to have a chance to work with them, as I have been doing for 4 years.
We also got the phone call that both final inspections (for the HVAC and the rewiring) are scheduled for Friday--fingers crossed! Then we can figure out what makes sense for a timeline for the remaining work that we need to get done before we move in: painting the interior and refinishing the hardwood floors.
I was very tired by day's end, and I finally gave in to my urge to go to bed, even though it was only 6:30.
Today one of our South Florida church friends is coming by for dinner. I am looking forward to catching up, grateful that she's the one on her way back to Florida (she, too, has moved away from South Florida, but not out of the state), not me.
I have been feeling such joy this summer and so much gratitude, along with feeling a bit odd about feeling this way. The world is burning, both literally and figuratively, and my mood doesn't match. I'm grateful about that ability too, to be aware of my good fortune, to try to help others, and to be able to have such joy, even with the sorrows that come from being 61.
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