Lookin' for Love

Remember that old song..."Lookin' for love in all the wrong places, lookin' for love in too many faces..". Well, I am looking for love in as many places as I can see it. It looks differently in every place I look, and I like what I see.

Yesterday, Adam graduated from his educational program. It is not the same as a regular high school graduation; here, the teachers take the time to single out each of their graduating students and BRAG ON THEM. Disability is not the focus, the focus is seeing with love and seeing the strength in each one. It has been that way since the beginning of his school career. I am thankful for that.

 God pointed out my own blindness yesterday when I heard one of the underclass girls sing. The chosen song was Katy Perry's "Firework". She sang karaoke style, and had her back to the audience. Molly, you see, has autism. She has great difficulty relating to an audience and unfamiliar situations. She is in Adam's class, so I have seen her before yesterday. I must tell you, what I heard was not what I expected. She belted out that song and hit every note...she kept perfect time and  sang beautifully. The volume of the voice track was turned lower than the music, so that we could really hear her. I never heard her speak before and thought she was non-verbal. I still don't know if she speaks or how often, but I do know that she sang with her whole heart. She loved what she was doing, and the audience loved her. Each time she got to the chorus, she jumped up and down with excitement and passion for the song.  She got a standing ovation. I think she got one in heaven too. The tears were rolling down my face. So beautiful.

Last night I went with Adam to his prom. It was a little difficult for him as he does not like big parties, but he eventually settled down. I was looking for love there too. I was not disappointed. I saw all the proud parents  and I saw students dancing with abandon. They were having a great time. There were a few couples there, boyfriend and girlfriend, and they were wonderful. So caring and respectful of each other. Some of our youth of today could learn a lesson from them.

One couple in particular were just friends, but they showed such an endearing love for each other. It appeared that they had not been together for a long time; they hugged and jumped up and down when they greeted each other. Then the young woman, who was quite a bit taller than the young man, bent down and started stroking his head. She was gentle and blessing him, and then she kissed him right in the middle of the top his head. So touching! Imagine if all of us were that comfortable to go beyond the initial hug and quick kiss on the cheek, and actually jump up and down for joy because we are so glad to see someone we love! I may try it. And soon.

So I think I will keep looking for love in all the places...I think I will keep finding it and I think I will like what I see. Love is a four letter word, but it is spelled so differently every time I see it. Yesterday it was spelled Adam and his friends. Thanks for stopping by and opening my eyes again Lord. xoxoxoxoxo

Quilts

About 32 years ago, I made my first quilt. I had no idea what I was doing, no idea of how to go about it, but I managed to hand sew a crazy quilt for my husband for his birthday that year. I filled it with an old store bought comforter, and backed it with a sheet. We had very little money in those days, so taking a class and buying fabric was out of the question. And our girls were just babies then, so who had the time to take a class? I used scraps of fabric from things I had made previously, and my mom gave me some scraps that she had and didn't need. Paul loved it. In spite of my poor sewing skills, it lasted about 20 years, and then I reluctantly threw it away as I couldn't repair it any more. I didn't know then what I know now or I would have saved it and made it better!
I really enjoy quilting now. I still have a lot to learn, but each one teaches me somthing new. I even took a class shortly before my #4 grandchild was born, knowing that there wouldn't be time after he arrived, and made Paul a new one. He was so pleased. He uses it all the time.
I love shopping for fabric for a new project. I always pray before I make a new blanket, and ask the Lord for inspiration and what might please the recipient. I can spend hours in the fabric store. It's almost as bad as going to a bookstore. There are shelves and walls of so many colors and prints...I just get lost there. I really try to stick with the current needs, but there is always something new and it gets me thinking of what I can make with that beautiful piece. I usually end up buying something that I just can't resist because I have learned that if I really love it, so will someone else, and when I go back for it I probably will not find it. You would not believe what the closet in my spare bedroom looks like.
One of the best things about quilting is the peace of it. It wasn't that way for me in the beginning; I tend to be impatient and in a hurry to see the finished work. That has made for lots of mistakes and lots of ripping out of seams...very time consuming and counter productive. I have learned to take my time and lay out the pieces after I cut them, in many different pattern combinations. I often change my mind as I do this; what I thought would look good doesn't, or the colors are not just right. Patience works its goodness into me and I continue to learn.
God is in the middle of all this. It is a creative outlet for me, it teaches me patience, I learn to hear from Him in different ways, and best of all, I learn that He is in the small stuff of my everyday life. He stops by and nudges me to try color combinations that I used to think clashed with each other. He nudges me to put patterns next to each other and see how beautiful they look together.  He gives me words to write to the receiver of the gift that bless them. I have learned to learn. And I have learned that I find peace in the midst of turbulent things going on in my life when I take out fabrics and cutters and rulers and work out something beautiful in spite of the world crashing down around me.
  I feel Him draw near and I get calmer and settled into the expression of something good when there is something bad happening.

We reason together about things that I am unreasonable about; He always wins the debate. I'm glad He does. This is fresh in my mind and heart right now as I have just come through a double whammy season. Trials from outside of the family, and another trial with my grandson. We are breathing freely again, but the darkness had a grip on me that was so unpleasant. I was under pressure to finish another quilt and ship it to California for a gift for a friend, and my mind and heart were racing in bad directions. As I yielded to the Lord and let Him be right when I was wrong, I began cutting out the pieces and working on the gift. This was one that I changed completely from my original design. As I worked, I felt the anger draining away, and the peace of the Lord returning. I kept sewing and praying, and I felt Him with me; comforting and teaching and showing me my sin. I finished the quilt in record time and shipped it. God's grace.  My heart is free again. He is so good.