Talking It Forward

   On Saturday I gave a talk to some thirty women from Fredericksburg Methodist Church who invited me to share in relation to my book, Contemplative Crochet. In doing so, I met a number of friendly and gracious people and was served a way above average lunch which included tomato aspic - a delicious surprise!
   In the several months before my talk, I kept mulling over what the subject should be. I thought I had covered my ideas about handwork and spirituality pretty well in the book. I didn't know how many people had actually read it and I didn't want to repeat those sentiments. As I dug back into my prior research file I found myself getting excited all over again about the book I had passionately started when the acquisitions editor from SkyLight Paths called to ask If I was interested in writing a book for them. My original idea about writing a book for parents and educators about why handwork is important for children had been put to bed five years ago and was still sleeping soundly. That is, of course, until now. I wondered if my audience of church ladies would mind too much if I slid into a related subject but not so much about spirituality.
   I finally realized that it was time. I was being led back to a subject I care about deeply. I needed to do the best I could to give my audience something rich and not disappoint them while moving myself forward and reclaiming an unwritten book.