Lost time, found time

The Friday Photo

A weekly photo inspired by spontaneity, art, and community.

When I was a stay at home mom years ago I sewed a lot

I made play clothes and a few "nice" dresses for my daughters

When we finished restoring our simple farmhouse

I worked on curtains, chair cushions, quilted duvets, and dust ruffles

I stopped sewing when I began working outside the house

I didn't really miss it much

No time between work, dance classes and homework,
 groceries, and laundry

Last year in March, on a warm early spring day

on what should have been the last few days of 
radiation treatment for breast cancer

the computer on the equipment crashed

It was the worst day of having cancer 

Sunburned from radiation, 
 too exhausted to even think 
of anything that would have given me respite

I decided to start sewing again

This weekend I will try something new 
using cast off and thrift store sweaters

I have learned how to felt them

 cashmere, wool, angora

cabled, patterned, plain     

I hope by Sunday night to have a new scarf

and make others with scavenged finds

I sobbed outside the waiting room while my car was serviced that day

but I finally realized

that I will never have the time back

so now I want to use it well

and not just pass through so much of it