Silver linings

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A Christmas earthquake hexie flower.

As so many Americans huddle under frigid temperatures tonight, I'm grateful for our less chilly weather. Cleanup is progressing, although we keep finding errant possessions. Tonight my husband pushed the refrigerator back where it belongs, he also righted my bedside table. Pictures that had fallen to the floor, but not sustained damage, have been packed until I am ready to secure them with earthquake putty. I plan to tack down all that seems fragile or even possibly breakable. I may not be able to control how the ground trembles, but I can keep household items' movement to a minimum.

In cleaning my office/sewing room yesterday, I tackled supplies that required more than merely being placed once again on my tables. Fabrics were gathered, knick-knacks dusted. Scraps too small to work with were tossed, while a variety of paper shapes were collected, still waiting a proper home. But I came across some treasures that required time on the ironing board, a path to which was finally cleared late yesterday after my husband removed a pile of books from a fallen tall shelf. This afternoon I plugged in my iron, smoothed out creases, also pressing a yard-long section from some Christmas fabric to use for binding several holiday coasters in need of time under my walking foot. After cutting six strips from that print, I set about trimming one-inch hexie sized scraps, then took them downstairs, basting the shapes, then sewing them into a slightly Christmas coloured hexie flower. What I'll do with it is unknown, but it felt good to use those bits of cotton to construct something beautiful.

During this holiday season we have done little decorating. I was away from home for over a week, part of why the house lacks its usual Christmas sparkle. Now I am thankful for being reticent; it's been hard enough sorting through the mundane items. Would I have attached a negative connotation to Christmas baubles had they been part of the melee, not to mention what if some had been destroyed? Perhaps these are minor considerations, especially now with the bomb cyclone bearing down so definitively. Yet a few days post-quake, I have a little bit of bandwidth to ponder such notions. Christmas cards have been sent, that too was hanging over my head. I need to make a Go bag for the next quake, for this won't be our last. But I certainly hope there isn't another for a good while. The lessons I have learned from this experience need to be incorporated, both in practice and within my soul. In the meantime, I have a hexie flower to consider, making something lovely out of a frightening night.

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