She's Alive!!

Greetings from South Texas!

I've been here nearly six weeks and have completely neglected to post. Of course this is in part because I have absolutely no "quilty" content to share, but I thought I could at least let you all know that I'm alive!

Things are going well down here. It's been a HUGE adjustment, and the adjustment period is still ongoing, to be honest. Living and working at an emergency shelter for migrants provides no end of challenges - constant noise, living off of donated food, and constantly being on call, among other thigns. We work with our guests to help them figure out a plan to move on from our shelter - some do so successfully, others have to be asked to leave for one reason or another, others just don't show up at bed check one day. We listen to their stories and do our best to share their journeys with them and help them carry their burdens.

I'm learning a lot about myself and the world around me and constantly have more and more to think about! But that's exactly why I'm here - to truly examine my life and see where it's going to go from here. No one said it would be easy, and it's not, but there is a lot of joy in the work I'm doing, the people I'm serving, and just in the knowledge that I'm growing as a person.

Anyway, I'm sorry I neglected to mention this sooner, but if you care to you can follow the non-quilty aspects of my life here over on my personal blog, Rejoice Always. My readership there has traditionally been a handful of friends and family, and that's who I write for, but I'm happy to invite my fellow quilt bloggers along for the ride.

I have over 2,000 unread feeds on my bloglines!! My internet access is really limited and I only get to the computer every few days, usually. Even when I do get a chance to look at my favorite blogs, I am usually speeding through them and don't slow down long enough to comment :( But please know that I am reading as much as I can.

As for sewing - to be honest I miss my stash terribly! But even if I had it - so far I haven't found a space here that I could really use for sewing without having to completely pack it all away after every session. I haven't given up hope of finding, that, but I remind myself that I may have to change my ideas about what is "workable" sewing space. I keep reminding myself that I want to get back to my quilting "roots" and that our fore-mothers didn't have studios or stashes for the most part. But it's a challenge, I'm not going to lie! Sometimes I think I'm crazy for doing this, but at least I know that after this year I will never take these things for granted again! In the meantime, I'm working on a Grandmother's Flower Garden that I'll try to snap a picture of when I get a chance. Thank goodness for hand work!

Lastly, thanks to all who have expressed their good wishes and encouragement during my transition!! I'm afraid I haven't been able to respond to them all as I should, but they are very much appreciated. I hope to post again soon, at least sooner than six weeks from now. Many thanks to all who are even reading this - this online community means a lot to me!