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My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 133: There’s No Excuse…

04 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by duckykoren in clothing, DIY, Education, garments, Learning, Sewing

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Clothes, cross stitch, darning, excuse, grandfathers, mending, needle, sewing, stitching, thread

I’ll never forget the time when I walked by my Grandfather while he was reading the newspaper in our living room. No sooner had I passed him, when I could suddenly feel him freeze.

Even at the age of ten, I could sense when there was something about me that did not meet with his approval.

Setting his newspaper aside, he took off his glasses and asked me to come closer.

I did as I was told.

My Grandfather pointed to a rip in one of my sleeves.

It was then that he told me that there was no excuse for wearing a torn garment.

No excuse at all.

He was right of course.

It’s a matter of self respect for yourself, and maintaining the respect of others.

In his early years, my Grandfather was apprenticed to be a tailor before he received his call to enter the ministry.

I know for a fact that he was an exceptional tailor because even after his retirement, he continued to enjoy sewing for the family. My world was a happier place whenever I had the pleasure of seeing my Opa sitting in a comfortable chair hemming, stitching and darning. His contentment was obvious whenever there was a needle in his hands. My Grandfather’s meticulous nature thrived on perfect stitches.

I was about five years old when someone put a sewing needle in my hand for the first time.

It was my Aunt Elsbeth. I was visiting her house one day when she sat me down at her kitchen table along with her own three children. We were each given a threaded sewing needle and one of her husband’s old shirts. Then, we were shown how to sew in a straight line using medium sized stitches,

That is how I learned to sew.

Now, fast forward several decades.

When my eldest daughter was in grade one, I sat her down and introduced her to a needle and thread as well. Before she knew it, I had her doing cross stitch on a stamped piece of linen using coloured embroidery floss.

She still has this project, or she tells me.

Of course, this makes me very happy because this little piece of cloth that holds my daughter’s first precious stitches, tells me that as her Mother after all these years…

…I at least did something right.

My.Daily.Diversion Post 2: A Lesson A Day

02 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Education, Learning, Writing

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Bands, Education, Family, fathers, Humour, Insruments, Learning, Lessons, life, memories, Music, Oboe

In high school, I belonged to a band. The musical instrument I chose to play was the oboe.

Why the oboe?

I chose it because my father and I had once discussed the oboe.

I had asked him what it was, and he kindly tried to imitate it for me.

He rendered such a humorous melody that we both laughed when his concertina for one had ended.

It still remains a very pleasant memory for me.

And so, I chose the oboe.

An oboe is a single reed instrument.

If you are curious about how it sounds, try to imagine the instrument that a snake charmer would play.

And that is how an oboe sounds.

I’ll never forget the time during band practice when my music teacher, Mr Ingles told us, that if we truly have a passion for something, we should strive to learn something new about it each day.

Of course, this could apply to anything:

Music,
Knitting,
Writing,
Loved ones,
Life…

His advice has stayed with me and I have done my best to adhere to it.

Of course, some days are better than others.

Most daily lessons are relevant, others not so much.

The lesson does not have to be life altering, but rather mindfully noted and mused upon and be grateful for until the next lesson comes along.

Yes, I think it’s safe for me to say, that on most of the days of my life, I have acquired something new for me to ponder and peruse.

Whether I was able to remember the daily lesson or not is of course an entirely different matter.

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