Peace

As much as I love and adore my three girls, there are days when they get on my last nerve, jump on it, and then scream loudly enough to wake the dead. The little sweethearts generally manage to find that last nerve on the same day I'm ready to run screaming from my job and I've had several emails from parents about PTO issues. Those are the days when a hot bath and a glass of wine just aren't enough to wash away the stress.

Since Phoebe has come home, I haven't kept up with my quilting. I've toyed with things here and there, and when I had my surgery I hand quilted several blocks in a Christmas quilt that I've been working on for about five years. But long-term involvement in a project? Not so much. With all that I have going on, adding a quilting class to the mix wouldn't seem like the best idea but that's just what I did. And I tell you, it's soothing my soul.

Twice a month - at least through Christmas - I'll go to my favorite quilt shop and pull up a chair with ten other ladies while we all work on our own projects. It's not a class, per se. It's more of a quilting bee. And since this is my favorite quilt shop and I have taken several classes there in the past, I already know a lot of the ladies I'm spending time with. Granted, I'm younger than everyone else by a good 15 to many more years, but I love it. We complain about husbands, trade stories about our kids (or grandkids), and offer encouragement when someone (usually me) has to rip a thread out for the umpteenth time. Not only am I gaining some essential 'me' time, I'm also making progress on a Dresden Plate quilt that I have been collecting fabric for. For those of you who aren't quilters, 'collecting fabric' is a euphemism for 'buying a whole lot of material without a clear goal in mind, just because it's pretty!'.

I'm not recommending that all of you run out and become quilters, although I think you'd find it suprisingly simple. But I do believe that we should all take some time to cultivate the soul within. Reconnect with the things you love, even if you think you can't squeeze one more activity into your schedule. You'll be a better mama and a better wife and a more relaxed, peaceful person because of it.