Instant Gratification

Mark Strand wrote . . . And yet, in a culture like ours, which is given to material comforts, and addicted to forms of entertainment that offer immediate gratification, it is surprising that so much poetry is written. 

           The glorious days of fall are speeding by too quickly for me.  The final Sunday of Celebrate September with 30 Years of Joy was unbelievably grace-filled, tear-filled, spirit-led, and joy-filled!  Then, last Sunday we celebrated Holy Communion and then were surprised by the precious sacramental baptism of a new baby in our faith community! 

            I return home from such blessings revived in spirit and weary in body, and look forward to, not with anticipation, more reading and writing as I strive to finish the required work for class. 

            Friday, Greg (my precious soul mate and husband) went out of town to pick up our son, Aaron, now in his last semester at KWC.  I knew that these precious 8 hours were meant to be spent with my nose tucked in a book, or my eyes glued to the computer, my fingers typing furiously!  And, I did do some of that!  But, what a glorious day Friday was, and I found myself thinking, “Now, let’s get to that front porch!”  And, out the door I went, carrying pumpkins, mums, and a scarecrow!  It’s been ten years since we had a true front porch complete with swing, and I can tell you, I am wasting no time enjoying the front porch.  The results were good – not quite finished, but a start.  I think a few fall leaf pillows are in the works!  But once back inside, I tackled the dining room, then the kitchen.  With each placement of a pumpkin, or acorn (I am well and truly enchanted with acorns and have been since childhood) my spirit soared.  By the end of the day, I found myself back at the computer, again typing, again able to tackle a task and know that the assignment will soon be done and done well. 

                                          My first four Circuit Rider blocks.

            After a late afternoon nap, refreshed and eager to welcome my men home from a long day, my soul needed more, and I began to lay out fabric for a wall hanging that I had been wanting to make for years.  With all the projects I have going at this time, why in the world did I begin a new one, you might ask.  The answer is easy:  instant gratification.  I needed to see something done quickly that would make me smile.  I looked on the four completed Circuit Rider Blocks and knew that 38 is a long way to go!  I looked at the Grandmother’s Flower Garden and knew that though it was not an heirloom quilt, I still had two strips of blocks yet to piece before I could sew them to pre-quilted fabric to have an instantly quilted quilt.  So, that night I laid out the fabric and then found the time to cut out the pieces.  Saturday found me completing my sermon, but between times of allowing it to “settle,” I pieced and sewed.  By dinner I had the pumpkins sitting on the fence, only to discover that I had no Heat n’ Bond Ultra Hold for the pumpkins’ faces!  So, a quick trip to Walmart fixed that, and now, here I am at 9 p.m., truly satisfied with a precious pumpkin patch full of pumpkins! 

                                         Two strips of an "insta-quilt."  

            Instant Gratification – it does work for me! 

 

                                          Pumpkin Patch Fun!

Instant Gratification works for me!
Beck