Turnings

It's the turn of a new year. With that, it makes me want to capture the time and slow it down. The older I get, the more time slips away from me, as water through my finger tips. My children grow, and in turn grow taller than me. One more wrinkle appears on my tired mommy forehead. An ache in my shoulder becomes an everyday companion. And through it all I rush, heedless of time, allowing the tyranny of the urgent to overrule and dominate in my life. It is a never-ending cycle I beat back all the time, like weeds invading a garden.

This year, as in past years, I am participating in our church's annual Daniel Fast. I'm adding to it, however, a fast from my favorite forums, including FaceBook. I'm two days in and I'm feeling the loss, but not in the way I'd imagined. I feel it much like a child who loses a tooth, and keeps searching for it with her tongue, feeling the gap in her mouth. I've worn a path over the past almost ten years of building relationship online through places like Ravelry. I have friends, support, and fun, and that is all well and good. It has been since I obtained the "i" devices, an iPhone and iPad, though, that I found spare seconds were spent there that perhaps could have been spent in more productive ways. And so now I find myself prayerfully separating myself for a time, to see if I can rediscover those odd moments in life that I crave:  time to create, to relate, and to reflect.

It's early yet, but so far I've discovered time to sit, read, study, and knit. Spinning has even popped back into my life. And real letter writing to friends. And journaling. One of my true delights is time spent first thing in the morning reading and contemplating A Year with C. S. Lewis, a book I've owned for far too long and have barely dusted off. His essays make me think in all the good ways that I used to do. I'm reading my Bible, and I managed, in just three days, to finish getting my work completed so that I could become an IEW Registered Instructor. I'm embarrased to admit that I first began the process way back in 2012, and put it aside until now, but it's done!

For my knitting, I'm working on a simple shawl, Gaskell.

It's knit with Cascade Eco+

I'm looking forward to more spindle spinning over the next month or so. I was so blessed to receive a Moosie spindle by the Bosworth's as a Christmas gift, and I can hardly wait to give it a twirl! I'm finishing up some merino on a Trindle at the moment, but I think I'll select something over the weekend to start with my new treasure.

Oh yes, and I finished my "Just for You," project on time and was able to wear it to Christmas Eve services! I love wearing it. The Cadena yarn from Knit Picks was a perfect choice!

I pray the 2015 year is one full of blessings for you. I pray it is a time of drawing closer to family, to community, to Christ. Be blessed!