| Lately, amidst all the bad news and polarization happening in the world around us, I’ve been searching for a way to be a Force for Good in the World. I’ve been trying to do this for a long time now, but I feel like I need to up my game. I’ve been thinking about the Gandhi quote – “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Turning away from the bad news doesn’t work for me, but taking a break for a week up North was a good thing. I came back with a clearer head, more centered and peaceful. I can’t fix the world all by myself, but I can stay committed to being part of the change. I know this is on many of your minds too…because you tell me. I hear from you via email, Facebook messages, and text messages. I think mothers and fathers in particular are thinking about how they can engage in the process of healing the world, for the sake our all our children. Yes these are things that I think about (try to meditate on, instead of worry about….) just like many of you. For myself, I have made a commitment to make art that tells a story, and hopefully invites people to think about these same questions, and think about what they can do for peace and healing. I am not hopeless, because this desire for peace and healing is huge. We all feel it. Well, almost all of us. So every week when I write to you, I hope to make you smile, to inspire you, to give you courage to try something new and maybe speak up for someone without a voice and without power. You may be sewing charity quilts. You may be protesting at a climate conference. You may be volunteering at a nursing home or school. You may be giving a caretaker a much-needed break. We are all doing what we can. And hey, someday we may need help too. Through the quilting community I have found my tribe of people who also value love, peace, and healing. Wherever I go, there you are. Knowing you are there is what helps me get through those challenging times. I know you know what I mean. I have uploaded several images from my polar bear trip on my photo pages here. My goal for this trip was to see a Snowy Owl, and you’ll see I did manage to capture a few images from afar. Congratulations to Kathy Bieltz who won our October Autumn/Harvest themed Facebook challenge. We are planning another challenge/contest with $50 gift certificate prizes on our Facebook page, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and share your projects made with eQuilter fabrics! If you are in Houston at the Quilt Festival this week, please be sure to check out the winner of the eQuilter Mastery Award, and the 3 special exhibits we are sponsoring. (You’ll see 2 of my quilts in the Washington DC exhibit.) Congratulations to all the winners in Houston this year! This week I will be at the Intl Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska at events on Thursday and Friday evenings. I hope to see many of you there. Sharing your love of fabric, Luana and Paul Quilt/Travel/Sponsor Calendar: Nov 3-4 – Intl Quilt Museum – Lincoln NE Dec 1-2 – Clinton Presidential Library Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – Atlanta See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, watch our videos, or follow us on Facebook. Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter pages for Color and Design ideas. |
