Dear Shawl Family,

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." -- Pericles

We'd like to send out our thanks to the wonderful volunteers who stepped up to assist the past two months while Kathy and I were away. Also a special thanks to all you busy bees that created so many beautiful shawls over the summer! Our next Shawl meeting is, Tuesday, September 11, at 7 p.m. in the Seton Faith Formation Center. We look forward to getting back into the rhythm of knitting and crocheting.

STRANDS FROM the NEST...
The summer does not officially come to a close until mid-September but with Labor Day behind us and the yellow school buses pulling into the local schools...there is indication that the seasonal calendar is changing. I stood and watched from my window as the neighborhood kids clamored off to school that first week. Many thoughts and emotions seemed to rise and fall as I began to wonder if I would ever settle into a regular routine again. I've been finding it hard to discipline myself to bring order to the disorder that seems to lie around me after the whirlwind of activity of this past summer!!! I wonder if every momma bird feels this way when she returns to an empty nest???

While in a migratory pattern ...relocating our baby bird 9.5 hours away in northern Kansas to attend Benedictine College as a Benedictine Raven...I discovered a few things about Ravens! They are birds of high intelligence...perhaps the smartest birds...on par with animals such as wolves...dogs, etc. They are great problem-solvers and resourceful scavengers. I even discovered a little about their nesting habits. Okay...ladies...why not...I was going to have to learn about re-feathering my own nest when I returned to Texas...why not see how these birds do it!!!

Much to my delight I found that Ravens have been known to use sheep's wool in their nests. YES! sheep's wool! Didn't I tell you these Raven's were resourceful, intelligent birds? They weave and work such fibers into what is known as the top lining of their nest. So... as a mother of a Benedictine Raven...my mind started whirling. Re-feathering my nest could have endless possibilities especially if it involved exploring yarn shops!!! I would have to do a little research in the area. My husband had two days of meetings in Kansas City before we returned home and I would turn this time into discovering several area yarn shops.  Thoughts of beautiful handspun fibers for my nest sent this momma bird's imagination soaring to new heights!!!

The adventure began in Lawrence, Kansas at the Yarn Barn. This was a lovely shop...catering to spinners, weavers, knitters, crocheters and needleworkers of all types, plus a wall full of beautiful dyes for those who enjoy hand-dying their own yarns. It was a haven for my creative spirit and unfortunately, not enough time to spend soaking it all in. How time flies while roosting in a "yarn barn" I bought some locally spun yarns as well as locally designed patterns and headed out the door with my friend to grab a bite to eat and chat about our purchases. Lovely shop...I can't wait to return. The next day was a visit to The Studio yarn shop near The Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. It's located in an old historic home and is full of wonderful yarns and charming atmosphere. Once again, I found some locally created yarns and picked them up to add more delightful, colorful fibers and memories to my nest. Such an adventure for this old mother bird, whose feathers had been a bit on the droopy side! Over the next few years I intend to continue the nest re-feathering journey with further exploration of future yarn shops along the way while making visits to our daughter! I hear there are many more in that area!  By the way...the people I've met in these special venues are just as lovely and beautiful as the yarns that they sell.  Each person I've met along the way has had a special way of weaving some unique element into this nesting process.  God does have a way of doing that when we remain open to His work in our lives!

As we close this letter out I'll end with an answer to the most frequently asked question lately, "How is the empty nest?" My honest answer, "I don't much like it!" That's why I love the little poem I ran across the other day. I've posted it on my refrigerator for daily review!!! Isn't it wonderful the way God patterns our lives…knitting these little strands into our lives at just time!  (Psalm 139 showns the Master Knitter at work!)

FULL-NEST SYNDROME
The children are gone, but my nest is full
Of pleasant memories and happy times,
Of messy mud pies and warm puppy dogs,
Of favorite bedtime stories and shared dreams.

My nest is filled with fragments of rusty
Bikes and splintered skateboards,
Term, papers and frantic deadlines...
Pieces of broken dreams and romances,
Of emergency trips and close calls;

Temper times, of heart-to-heart talks,
And shouting matches...
Of warm hugs and wet kisses;
My nest has twigs of joy...

Like ocean-side vacations and frilly dresses;
Bats and balls and pretty dolls,
Threads of laughter and tears,
Of sorrow and fears...

Fervent prayers and anxious moments
Hoping, and waiting together.
There's no empty nest here--
My nest is filled with love.
--Rebecca Barlow Jordan--

Come on out and spend some time in the nest with a few SisterChicks...knitting and crocheting...clicking and clacking the night away!

Blessings,
tish and kathy

"...those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint"  Isaiah 4:31