Taken from A Patchwork Life: The Hands-On Guide To Living by Louise Silk
Available as an ebook: A Patchwork Life: The Hands-On Guide To Living
Hand Stitched Silk; Old Quilt Backing; 2020
Life gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment. This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every breath. Every moment is the guru.
Charlotte Joko Beck
Relationship is messy, layered, and complicated. When my youngest daughter moved back to Pittsburgh, she insisted, that for her sanity and the family’s well-being, we go into counseling. She found a practical therapist who taught me many things about the importance of self-care and the necessity of identifying emotions. I learned that the only one I truly have the power to change is me. Crafting those changes in myself might not bring everything to resolution, but I will be happier and that will have a positive effect on all who come into my contact.
A good friend was at her family’s reunion. Looking in the review mirror from her car, she saw my name in lights beside the image of her cousin. She faced a complicated set of questions: Was I ready to meet someone new after my recent loss? Was he open to meeting someone who lived 90 miles away? How to best introduce one to the other?……
It was the 4th of July, when finally, we spoke on the phone. After a long conversation, he suggested meeting at the Sheetz halfway between us. I agreed.
His first question, Do you eat meat?; the answer was no; and his last question, What happens now?; along with my answer, Come see where I live; told me it was very possible I was in the right place at the right time.
Some years into it, with five children and four grandchildren between us, we have pieced together a solid partnership. The messiness continues as we support each other’s effort to be in relationship while maintaining independence. We tread lightly, taking nothing for granted and seek out the positive, all in the name of a multi-layered patchwork life.
BubbeWisdom 