Ok folks, six days till lift off. The madness here continues and the sewing machine died. So first stop a nearby town that might sell new ones. I could do without the trip and I hope I can find one, otherwise there will be a lot of hand sewing going on! The weather, gloriously golden when I woke, is now wet and grey. I have mounds of stuff to get through and Ani has covered the living room in the recycling. She’s only being helpful and reducing bulk, of course…
So, I could be tearing my hair out. (Adds haircut to list)
But no.
There is a part of me that clings to the habit of panic… but I know that is all it is. Just a habit. Something the world expects in this situation where deadlines loom and time runs away alarmingly… something I would expect of me too. But there is none. Behind the frenzied exterior of a rabid, red-headed whirlwind, albeit a small one, there is calm and utter serenity.
I’m not sure I understand that. But I am grateful for it.
In six days’ time the School launches. The important things are done, only physical preparations remain. Where we hit problems, solutions appear, where things go wrong they open the way for a better ‘right’ to come in.
And this, I think, has much to do with the fact that we have chosen to listen and accept what we have been given to do and to share. That we have followed that inner voice heard in the silence of our hearts and walk forward in a light not our own, yet which is intimately woven through all life. Corny as it may sound, we ask nothing other than to serve that vision well and do a good job.
There is something else as well as this unaccustomed calm, and that is joy.
As I watch the web of threads being pulled together now in these final days, I can feel something reaching out into the world and placing human faces on the work we have done and continue to do. The support we have been shown from across the world has touched me deeply, often reducing me to tears… those tears that come unbidden in moments of joy.
It doesn’t have to be much to do that. An odd word, a thought, a message… even, as this morning, a particular name registered with the website when I authorise new members. That really made me smile today, from the heart.
One of the most beautiful things to come from the work we have done so far is friendship. There are old friends grown even closer as we walk forwards, who are the rocks upon whom I rest and who have listened patiently to the excited ramblings, discussed deep mysteries and just been there with love and virtual hugs and coffee. There are new friends who have wandered in and made themselves at home in my heart. There are friendships just beginning, sparkling in their newness like diamonds, yet far more precious.
That is beautiful, and it really does reflect what the School is about. This is not some random intellectual exercise, though we will challenge the mind and encourage thought and discovery. It is about people. About embracing life, living and Love, about finding within the beauty of being one’s true self. It is, in a word, about joy.
So, as I prepare to head into the Saturday morning mayhem in search of a sewing machine I can afford, thread that won’t snap every two seconds and cords I can adapt for our needs .. oh, and paintbrushes, and possibly food if I remember… I want to take a moment out of time and sit with you who have been there, you who have held us in thought and heart and simply say one thing.
Thank you.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
and thank you for everything that you are and do.
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Bless you x
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I tried to register as Robert, but that was already taken, I didn’t want Robert1 as a user name…….:)
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I can quite understand that 🙂
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Reblogged this on Wyndy Dee and commented:
Pretty picture!
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Thank you x
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Panic is productive. At least that’s the way I remember it.
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I can be productive without panic 🙂 Adrenaline, now that’s different.. but excitement can supply that instead 🙂
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Ah, yes, panic, intimately acquainted with it. Good luck to you and kudos for overcoming your fears and taking a risk.
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It is three pm on a day when I should have had eight hours sewing done.. and I have just walked in with the new machine still in its box. Panic? Nope.. not even now 🙂
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You’ll be fine. Everything will be just right! Breathe 🙂
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Yes, we will 🙂 And I am. Not a hyperventilation in sight 🙂
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Yay! You can do this…deep breaths:)
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Breathing, and sewing.. and getting there nicely 🙂
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I’m catching up on reading I missed and glad you got a machine – Years ago, my old one finally bit the dust – 36 hours before a craft show I was frantically preparing for, having depleted my stock at the prior one – I admire your, “No Panic” stance – I must say, I did Panic – big time – – but the hour drive to a town where sewing machines could be purchased gave me time to calm down…
🙂
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Up in the loft is my grandmother’s sewing machine, and ancient Jones, not electric and lacking a reverse gear. Until a couple of years ago, it was the only machine i have ever used.. and it still works better than most, needing only the occasional drop of oil. If I could have got it down the ladder alone, I would have stuck with that 🙂
The biggest problem and waster of most time is rethreading the needle… I’m sure they are making the eye smaller these days… 😉
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They are! 🙂 – and the new one I got boasted of a ‘easy-self-threader’….Easy my arse…
🙂
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*chuckles* at least mine didn’t make false promises on that score 😉
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