In elementary school my favorite piece of playground equipment was the merry-go-round. I remember racing out of the classroom at recess time to claim my place on the twirling disk. Sometime I would run alongside pushing my bar to help my classmates make it go faster and faster, and sometimes I would sit and simply enjoy the ride. After a certain length of time, regardless of my position on the merry-go-round, I had to get off to regain my balance and to rest.
My life these days is somewhat like that merry-go-round. I can hardly wait to get to work when I get up in the morning. I love my work, I love to create, I love to stitch, and I enjoy talking to quilters who call on the phone. When bedtime comes around I am often still at it, stitching or working. Needless to say, my existence sometimes becomes one dimensional and I need to get off the merry-go-round to regain my balance and to rest.
A few weeks ago I did just that. I took a week off and spent the time with our daughter and her family in Texas. As you can see, their family is very young (six years and younger) and I am sure that my daughter’s life can become a bit like a merry-go-round too. One of the things I always do when I visit is send the grown-ups away for a weekend alone while Grandma Jeana stays with the kids. When Mom and Dad are not there as a buffer between me and our little ones, we get to know each other very well. It is quite a workout I must admit, but I love the time alone with the kids. This year we played “Go Fish” and “Old Maid” until we nearly wore out the cards, we made a surprise bouquet of flowers from cardstock and pipe cleaners (and lots of glitter glue), and a Red Velvet Cake to celebrate Mom and Dad’s return.
I returned home refreshed and ready to jump back on my merry-go-round. I am having a great time working again!