36 Quilts in 12 Months

The Story...

There are 2 sides to a book, the front cover and the back cover, but what's important is the pages those covers protect. The story.

I hope everyone has a safe and very blessed Christmas. 

T-Dogs

Figuring out 1...

I've spend a few days now thinking and wondering why I'm always figuring out numbers to equal 1. 

This is why...

.

His entire world changed in 1 second. For 7 years he was unable to move, eat, talk... His life changed in 1 second. 1 second. Everything starts with 1 and ends with 1... it's the only way anything makes sense to me. 1 second. 

T-Dogs.

 

2 sides to a coin, 3 sides to a story...

x+y=z... 

Only 3 numbers from 2-9 can divide themselves in half and = 1. You're life can change in one second. Everything, every life begins at 1 and ends at 1. Maybe, just maybe, that why I was born on 1-1. I know now why I'm a quilter... I calculate. x's story + y's story = z the truth. I only told my sister about my calculating everything, my counting. I was diagnosed with OCD. Believe me, that's not possible. So, in turn, I'm in therapy. My therapist told me he was jealous of my ability to calculate and ask me why I do it. I told him the truth, numbers don't lie, people and words do. 

My dearest Linda, my forever blog follower, we will meet one day. I promise. 

I'm flying out to Colorado tonight. I got this. 

Mom, was this blog post short enough? Love you!

Maybe I forgot to mention... I crack myself up. 

T-Dogs

 

Perhaps, just perhaps, I can really make pigs fly...

Am I back? Am I still the same person? With the right music, the right books, the right friends - and with the amazing love of my family... I'm back. 

Well hello...

"I will not be commanded. I will be controlled and I will not let my future go on without the help of my soul."

"It's not simple to say, that most days I don't recognize me. It's not easy to know, I'm not anything like I used to be. Although it's true I was never attention's sweet center. I still remember that girl. She's imperfect but she tries. She is hard on herself. She is broken and won't ask for help. She is messy but she's kind. She is lonely most of the time. She is all of this mixed up and baked into a beautiful pie. She is gone but she used to be mine. It's not what I asked for, sometimes life just slips in through the back door and carves a person who makes you believe it's all true. You're not what I asked for. If I'm honest I know I would give it all back for a chance to start over and rewrite an ending or two. For the girl that I knew. Who'll be reckless just enough. Who'll get hurt but who learns how to toughen up when she is bruised and gets used by a man who can't love. Then she'll get stuck and be scare of the fire that's inside her, growing stronger each day. 'Til it finally reminds her to fight just a little, to move the fire back into her eyes. That's been gone, but it used to be mine. USED TO BE MINE."

"I know it's all you've got to just be strong and it's just a fight to keep it together. I know you think you are too far gone, but hope is never lost. Hold on, don't let go. Just take one step closer, put one foot in front of the other. You'll get through this, just follow the light in the darkness, you're going to be ok. I know your heart is heavy from those nights, but just remember that you are a fighter. You never know what tomorrow holds and you're stronger then you know. Hold on, don't let go. When the night is closing in don't give up and don't give in. This won't last, it's not the end. You're going to be ok."

hymn seven. all of my mistakes were people who were never what they promised to be. r.h. Sin.

"Dear me, this a letter to the girl I used to be. There are some things that you should know. It's not my intention to embarrass or to shame you. What's inside the rear view mirror is closer than it appears. We do the best that we know how, with what we have be given, and the difference between you and I is that I have been given time. In time you'll see, somethings are not as simple as we said. Remember when we thought there were a handful of some magic words to pray a guarantee and a down payment on a mansion? Remember all the rules we made about the Body and the Blood, the hoops we made them jump through though He offers it to everyone? I'm so sorry. Do you remember now the things I said I thought that I deserved? My flag and safety, a place to learn, the things I know I didn't earn. You'll see you're going to take the long way. There is nothing you can do or say to separate you from the love of God who made you just exactly as He meant to. You cannot imagine all the places you'll see Jesus. You'll find him everywhere you thought He wasn't suppose to go. SO GO.... GO. Hold all the mothers, as babies bleed from bullet holes. Feel all the hunger the bellies and the bones. Shout for the prisoner, cry for justice loud and long. March with the victims as Jesus marches on. Sit at all the tables because Jesus eats with everyone. Dance to the music if you can't sing it's native tongue. Cry for the wounds the mothers and the empty arms and hole hearted warriors fighting now for freedom's song. And love, love, love, love, love, like it's your own blood. And love, love, love, love... LOVE how you have been loved. It's all about love. His name is love. Dear me, you did not learn this in a day or two or three, so ask a lot of questions. Jesus loves us this I know - and there are no exceptions."

I'm back - a little different, a little older... but I do believe, sooner then later, pigs will fly and my story will be read. See, that's a funny.  

Still need to add border. Going to have it quilted before sewing on eyes, nostrils, ears and tails. I'm not loving how this turned out so I don't want to pay for custom quilting. 

I made my baby Tod a new fleece blanket, it has foxes on it - because he's my fox and if you remember named after the fox in The Fox and Hound, not my brother Todd. So now when we all gather as a family, it's Tod the dog and Todd the human. I wonder if my brother will ever get over it? Listen Todd, you're the one that doesn't like dogs and that makes YOU crazy, not me. Love ya bro.

Tod and I now live in Iowa, the weather here is quite different, but we're adjusting, barely adjusting, but adjusting. 

 

 

Perhaps tomorrow, I'm going to go stitch... yet another hand stitched quilt I've started and often wonder why? Why? Perhaps it's because hand stitching reminds me of those great summer in Missouri where I'd watch my Grandma being happy stitching and watching baseball. 

As always, as will always be,

t-dogs