Mantle Scarf

Every day I write in a gratitude journal.

 I started with 5 things. I would jot down in a small journal 5 things I was grateful for. At first it was the obvious, a bed, a home, food and such but then I started to look beyond those confines. After a year my list grew larger and I discovered more little things I had overlooked being lost in my personal tragedy. That was 1998 and my list now can be as small as 7 or as long as 12 depending on what I write about. The worse my situation was the harder it was to find even 7 things to be grateful for. But when you are sitting on the ground in despair you notice the intricate pattern of the Persian rug that decorates your room and all of a sudden you are thankful you bought that rug, you are thankful for the hands that wove that rug, the creation of the loom that was used, the person who procured the rug for auction, the boat that brought it here, the hands that created the boat and before you know it you have filled up 12 lines and your heart is open to receive more.

I mention this because several friends on a social media site are doing a November gratitude journey and every day they write about what they are grateful for. Wonderful! Will this create a habit they will continue for the rest of their days?  I enjoy what they all write. They are all positive things but in the devastation can they still be grateful? I wrote in my journal negatives like not having money; not being able to buy new clothing has inspired me to be creative and wildly free with what I wear. Why just the other day I mixed 2 different pinks with a vibrant orange sweater and pulled it all together with a scarf that incorporated all the colors. It was wild! I am grateful I have the imagination and courage to experiment and wear my creations in public.

Just this morning I was looking at my fireplace and the mantle scarf that adorns it.

 It is creamy white in color and made of Irish linen. The three edges are finished in hand tatted trim. My grandfathers’ mother made it as a young girl for her trousseau. That means she made it around 1884. What was she thinking as she tatted the edging? Was she dreaming about the man she would marry? The home she would live in? The children she would have? Did she think about me? Did she think about the mantle scarf being given to some future granddaughter? This morning I am grateful for every stitch, every thread, every moment she spent crafting this beautiful scarf. For her, for her husband, for her mother who taught her how to create this type of lace. It feels like it was all done for me. That opens my heart and a flood of warmth engulfs me. Over a hundred years ago a simple gesture of love has brought me enormous pleasure. Who beyond me will it bless?

Lady Tamara www.LairdOfLochaber.com  wishes you a blessed and joy filled Thanksgiving.