Late-Night Thinking

My wabi-sabi amaryllis photo of the day showcases the beauty of fading petals where the intricuit patterns in the veining become clearly visible.

I often lay awake at night thinking about my projects....both new and old. It's both a blessing and a curse....but seems to be part of my creative process. 

Late-night thinking is what helped me move from just random art tags with Words of Encouragement (which I loved)....to tags that literally weave together cards from the community that encircled Margie and our family. I love the symbolism of these tags!

But what was I going to do with them all?

Late night thinking kicked into gear again a few days ago....and I had an idea largely inspired by the Heather Cox Richardson quote I shared a few days ago. 

"Whatever those things are that you bring to a community, do them, and do them with joy. And don't stop doing them because you are scared."

I came to realize that I wanted to turn this project into something that built community....and it occured to me that maybe I could do something FOR the community at the same time.

So.....I'm starting to put together Words of Encouragement kits that I hope will help others create community and share words of hope and joy. I hope to sell them as a fundraiser at the local Handiwork store and donate ALL of my proceeds to Maine Needs, where I've been volunteering. More on that in another post.

Each kit contains four tags, a treat bag to fill and share, and one handmade card to send to someone who might need it. Until I run out...I'm using pieces of Margie's original coloring to stitch onto the cards. She would be pleased.

I am encouraging people to attach or include the tags to share some Words of Encouragement with someone else.

Using Margie as my inspiration...I am telling the story of how these tags are made and am including the background story in the kit. You know it...but here's what I wrote:

In October of 2024, Margie, my 92 year old mother-in-law fell and broke her hip. I put out a call to her community to shower her with cards with Words of Encouragement for her recovery and upcoming birthday. The cards came...and they just kept coming. Unable to face the long rehab road ahead, Margie passed away peacefully on November 6th, the day after the election, blissfully unaware of the outcome. Then the sympathy cards with words of condolence started coming...and they just kept coming. And I kept them all.

In honor of Margie, I've been turning these cherished cards into Words of Encouragement to share with others. By cutting them into skinny strips and mixing them up, each tag becomes a symbol of her colorful community of hope and joy. Margie was a woman of faith, committed to promoting peace and joy, and she would be pleased that her values continue to be shared through Words of Encouragement.

It took me a couple days to figure out the nitty gritty like the layout and wording. But I'm happy where I landed and now I can just focus on making tags...stitching cards...and assembling kits. 

I have lofty goals...and we'll see if they are realistic. But whatever I can do...no matter how big or small will be a positive result of my late night thinking.

I also hope to offer kits and or just tags here to this blog community.....because so many of you answered my call with beautiful cards and notes. I continue to be so grateful. 

Stay tuned....I'll probably lay awake thinking about it tonight.