We continue to have a lot of Life going on in our family.  The kinds of things people deal with all the time — a new baby on the way, a wedding to plan, elderly parents with health issues, a son-in-law away in the Army, a daughter studying abroad in Germany, finances and phone calls and birthdays and trips to the airport.

And, in the midst of it all, knitting often takes second (third, fourth, fifth…) place to the matter at hand.  And when the “matter at hand” is a child who needs attention or a long-distance phone call from an elderly parent…where was I?  I had to break off in mid-sentence to hug my 2-yr-old grand-daughter and discuss her peanut butter sandwich.

Oh, yeah, when someone in my family needs me, I am most likely going to set aside my knitting.  Of course.

 A major crisis (like the abrupt death of my son-in-law Jeff’s father on Sunday) throws everything to the wind.  But even the daily demands of the household get between me and my needles.  After all, we need clean dishes and towels, lunch and dinner.  I am tempted to say that there are not enough hours in the day!

But there are enough hours.  God does not expect me to accomplish more in a day than I can – and who am I to put greater expectations on myself than God does?!

So some days I knit a lot and some days I knit a little.  But I keep knitting – one stitch at a time.  Sometimes I am entirely frustrated by the “interruptions” to my knitting.  And I want to stamp my little foot and shout “Knitting is important too!!” 

And it is important.  Just sometimes not as immediate.  And knitting will wait.  It is one of the graces of the craft.