Gleaning

Now I'm not very well known for my crafting ability.
I can garden - and I love gardening, and I can cook - very well actually (aaah, so modest too!). Most of my friends wouldn't refer to me as "Linda the crafter", but after today that may change......!

My Mum mentioned to me that there is a craft group at the church over the road from her house and that maybe I should take the kids along.  Being new to this homeschooling gig I thought we'd check it out today.
So very glad we did.
It's in the church hall and full of interesting people from all walks of life - well mainly those in their twilight years.  We had an introduction day today, made name badges for ourselves and worked out what we might like to do.  We had such a lovely morning, met some delightful people and got some fantastic ideas for future projects.

Isn't it amazing what we can learn from those of other generations?
I saw my 13 year old son talking with an elderly gentleman about woodworking and having a laugh with some ladies trying to make a bird feeder, while Miss 10 was being her usual social butterfly self and charming all the little old ladies by asking questions about card making, mosaic tiling and crocheting.  I myself had idealistic visions of quilting and crochet and a homemade Christmas!! (Hmmmmm - keep dreaming Linda)  I was so proud of the way my kids behaved themselves today, they were in the company of much older people and some special needs people and they shone.  (No, I'm not going into a big "how good are my kids" post - I was just really proud of them today)

The thing I really enjoyed about today though was gleaning.
Watching those whose lives are unhurried, unworried, uncomplicated.
They've done their child raising, they've paid their mortgages off, they've finished their working years and they are now enjoying their grey hairs.  Somehow, I think that the stresses and tension we place on our daily lives are foreign to that generation.

My Grandmother didn't have a microwave, a washing machine, a dryer or any modern appliances but she still managed to cook, clean and wash for a family of 7 and raised them in a 2 bedroom home.  My mother didn't have a dryer but managed to keep my siblings and I in clean/dry cloth nappies for a few years.  She grew our vegies and made our clothes, knitted our jumpers and baked our treats, read us stories, showed us sunsets, taught us skills and loved us.  Yes I remember stressful times with Mum (especially when I was a teenager), but I'm sure she spent more quality time with us when we were kids than I do with mine.

So on top of my week of encouragment I'm going to take a leaf out of Grandma's, Mum's and all the oldies at the craft group's book and stress less, I'm going to smell the flowers I grow, let Miss 10 bake and forget about the mess, go on walks to the skate park with Mr 13, talk with them, listen to them, make things, craft more, worry less and enjoy my life - every minute of it.