This sounds a lot like boasting and God doesn’t like those who proudly boast for vanity. Whether I am good at them or not they are things I enjoy doing for the love of serving others by God’s loving command. Love one another as I have loved you. My skills or ratings are in the eye of the beholder I suppose. We all have our own unique ideas on what is good, okay and terrible.
As I have said numerous times I was born into a musical family from both sides of my family. It was encouraged, but it also came naturally from my mothers womb. Sometimes I truly believed I was created simply to make music with my fingers at the piano with my clarinet or by singing. I especially enjoy arranging duets, trios, quartets and yes even a quintet of ladies to sing at one time. That moment was incredible.
Then crafting was something the Alsmans did all the time with Grandma and Aunt Mary’s ideas for kid fun for the 8 of us when we all came together. She taught her daughters and me how to cross-stitch and we all enjoyed what we could make with a simple cross-stitch, back-stitch, half-stitch, quarter-stitch and back-stitch. Goodness from the 3 of us alone we have made more than I count of pieces we kept, gave away and even taken to County or State Fair Contests. I received a Reserve Grand Champion from the open class from my Civil War brothers in battle. That was an amazing piece and my Dad made my beautiful frame.
It’s also a craft, but I’ll mention it separately Christmas Card making. It was my Aunt Mary that also gave me a Cri-Cut cutter for Christmas one year. I was so excited about it and over a period of time grew a collection of cartridges, nearly 15 or more. I have a Music one, Wildlife, Billionaire, States, I Do, a Disney one so many hours of creative fun as long as I have the paper and the boards to cut them on for the cutter. I also like when I have the time to write personalized messages for the intended, those receiving the card. I think I have made my parents cry at least a time or two from such worded messages.
Writing was not easy or natural for me. Journalism came from my Interview process needing to use the information I received from the interview and the paperwork each Veteran gave me. Upon graduation I published my first 4 articles in the Sullivan Daily Times amazingly. The accolades I got from my family and friends for those articles were so bittersweet. It was after Grandpa Freddy died and I missed being able to go up to the house to tell him the exciting news. It was exciting, but life happened to me and I helped more with the farm due to some health issues of others. Now as of this year due to this platform I have published over 700 articles. I am still astounded at the growing number myself and I see the tally on the site nearly daily.
Watching the women in my life cook while I was growing up was fun. There are certain recipes I like better than others to make. I think everyone feels that way. Plus I have comfort foods I love to make with Mexican twists. I have a love of playing with flavors and making things just a little better.
Grandpa told me when I first set out to work as a Cashier to be open to working different jobs and hours. This was my first out in the world experience as a worker. It was one of the best learning experiments I had taken advantage of at that point. I try to take that comment seriously and have had some intriguing experiences because of Papaw’s one comment. Life means to live vibrantly not settle for safe and isolation from the world. I want to experience what God has for me to do in His will and not be afraid of my shadow. This was one reason I tried out as a Patient Care Technician for Dialysis. Plus I learned more about empathy and having to make some difficult decisions. The blessing was knowing I could and did pass the floor assessment test and seeing where my Uncle got treatments.
The road is less traveled for different reasons. The Lord has given me more blessings from the opportunities I have taken in life and some extremely complex story-telling over the years. Maybe I’m more like Grandma Betty than I think at times. She has always enjoyed telling stories with the most minute details, probably like her dad, Grandpa Arla a master story-teller as well.
Jewells of Thought 
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