Changing Direction -

Yesterday afternoon we had to make a 2 hour driving trip to Hickory, NC for an appointment Dave had at the main Ortho office.

Could there have been any prettier October afternoon to travel there by Blue Ridge Parkway?

Of course, I had to twist his arm and "promise to not take too long!" to get him to stop at any overlooks along the way.

I just needed some time with the vastness of peace that these views give me.

So much turmoil - in my own heart.  I feel it in my soul. Down to my core.

What has happened - gosh, going back 7 years or more?  Isn't that how the song goes "7 years of bad luck, good times in the past..." (Thank you Stevie Wonder!)

And maybe because I'm just that much older, and have stuffed things down for so long, everything seems so much heavier somehow.

And when this happens - we recognize it - we change direction.

Photos can't do this justice.

There was a lot of flack coming my way yesterday - accusing me of putting swastikas in my Star of Hope quilt design.

Evidently what I only saw as twisted intertwined ribbons others saw as swastikas. ⁣

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I've been horrified ever since it was pointed out to me.. That was not my intention.  ⁣

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While I don't associate all pinwheel designs with swastikas it upset enough people to cause me to think. ⁣

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I don't want even one person to think that is what they are seeing so I have done a redesign.

Whether "YOU" saw no swastika in my earlier design is of no matter.  It's enough that some who are sensitive to that did.

I'll save that block for another quilt where it won't be paired with a Star of David.  ⁣

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The yardage requirements are the same. We start Monday. ⁣

Of course, anyone could choose a different block for the alternate block, and if you so feel led, please do. The string Heart from our Hearts of Hope quilt for Ukraine would make a great alternate block.

But all of that aside, I think it is important to listen to those who are triggered by such images - have lived a past that we have not and we don't fully comprehend.

If someone says they are feeling something - they are feeling it.  Any attempt by us to say "No, I don't see it, it's not there" is a form of gaslighting.  It's invalidating the other person's reality.  Please accept their feelings and make a change.

My new idea may still evolve.  It involves a bit more piecing.  I will be paper piecing my quilt.  You may choose to enlarge your blocks - or substitute.  But I can't do it all to make it right for everyone - and that is the hardest thing for me to let go of.

I've got to stop trying to make it right for EVERYONE.  It's not possible.

I needed a few extra minutes here.

Anyone who has *ANY* kind of public presence will have haters.  My life is no exception.  How do you know you are doing good? You'll have haters coming out of the woodwork trying their darnedest to hurt and humiliate you in public and in private.

Which defeats the whole purpose of why we are doing this project in the first place.

The haters and their awful comments are yet another reason why I stick mostly to quilting ad nauseum.  It's a safe topic.  It generally doesn't offend anyone.

But if I talk about my feelings of war - of terrorism - of innocents on both sides being slaughtered - it opens the floodgates of backlash and I just don't have the desire to deal with that.

When it comes to something like yet another war - my heart goes instantly to innocent children who didn't choose to be born where they were and have yet to be taught to hate.  Because hate has to be taught from one generation to the next.

I feel for the elderly who can't defend themselves.  And to the knowledge that any belief of religious or racial superiority on any side, (the thought that anyone has the one and only true religion or race and everyone else is wrong or less than or should be killed for being born who they were) greed, patriarchy, control is the root of ALL evil. 

There is no love in any of it. Not in any of it.

(Yes, I know I am opening myself up to more sharp emails of "You should just stick to quilting Bonnie and you aren't even that great at that.")

Blurry Parkway view from moving car -

So how do we bring love back to the world?  Can we?  Can we start to look at people as human beings with feelings and fears, hopes and dreams instead of wanting to wipe one another off of the face of the earth for religious reasons or greed? That doesn't solve the problem.

And because things can't be resolved without violence - we quilt.  What else can we do?

We comfort those who are hurting. One quilt, one person at a time.

We put needle and thread to fabric to express all of the feelings we wish we could put into words, but the words simply can't be found.

I couldn't find the words here either.

I just poured it all out into the distance.

Any time we find ourselves saying "But those people...." We have lumped individual human beings together as if they are nameless, faceless and all bearing equal blame.

And yet - countries have the right to defend themselves against terror.  I believe that.  Truly.  And my heart still breaks for the innocents.  I can't say "Well, they deserve it."

I don't care if it is Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan...Israel or Palestine.  Greed.  Power. Religious conflict. Land conflict. People are hurting everywhere. People are being slaughtered.

Closer to home now.  Sun is setting.

This brought a smile.

I love those warty pumpkins.

I was going to draw for the two winners in the Starshine winners this morning - but my heart needs the weekend off.  It just doesn't seem appropriate to pull winners out of this emotional heart dump of a post.  We'll do that on Tuesday. The drawing is closed, but the winners can be drawn Tuesday.

I'll be working on more of these today and over the weekend.

I'll have Part 1 of Star of Hope ready for you in Monday's post.

Because I still believe in this world full of so much division and hate we can still make a difference by showing REAL love, REAL concern, REAL caring, REAL understanding, and REAL hope for a better future.

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage basket quilt found in Virginia.

And if quilting makes you happy, do it twice. 
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That's my plan - I'll catch you back on Monday.