Happy Holidays, all. May peace reside within each of us, this year, this day, this moment. Life is short. Let’s all enjoy every minute of it.
We have just returned from a holiday visit with family. We ate great food. Lasagna, salads, bread. Ham with all the sides. Nuts, a cheese ball. Shrimps. Hugs, family, TV and talk. We took a walk with my brother and Sister in Law. And received great gifts. A great cooking pan, a bracelet I have been wanting for a very long time. Some tank tops from Buy Me Brunch. And I am happy to say, my brother and Sister in Law will be visiting Brooklyn quite soon. Life is good.
I would like to Thank You for your support and encouragement this year! I have begun blogging again and am enjoying sharing my artistic progress with you. Thank you for coming here and checking in. I am thankful to be able to teach at Craft NAPA, and I plan to blog about my adventures. I hope you will stick with me and enjoy it with me. If you want specific pictures or info, comment please!
This week, I walked to Public House 61 and had coffee while stitching. I spent a couple hours enjoying myself, one stitch at a time. These last few weeks have been oddly stressful. After pulling a muscle in my back, I had an oncology appointment and, of course, my Dr. ordered scans, the first in the last 5 years. I knew it was nothing to worry about, but it did also worry me, to think this might well be cancer related. I was diagnosed 5 years ago, January 11. I do have fear of recurrence, so stitch, which slows time down to a single movement, a small action, that piles up and reveals itself over time, is meditation. It is the perfect antidote to stress.
And! No evidence of Disease at this time. I have a herniated disk, which requires much walking. Deal!! I will take it.
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The coffee shop is one mile away, they open at 7:30 A.M. So, I Gather my Sew-plies!! purses and a project, and go sew for a cuppa. And then walk home again. Win! In the photo just above this video, you can see my project bag and preferred stitching notions, wax and needles.
I am working my newest Gather your Sew-plies!! purse. It is a class sample. I look forward to seeing where it goes.
Melanie Testa 
Cancer free, what a great gift. Happy for you.
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I love this post because I can so relate to your thoughts and fears. It will be 5 years on May 5th that I was diagnosed and I too have fears of recurrence. I just take one day at a time and try to make the most our of each day. I am so inspired following your journey.
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Another wonderful post. 😀
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So much goodness in this post. I remember 5 years ago. I had just discovered my thyroid was cancer free, but no longer a part of me. That is okay, I didn’t need the worry. Then you were diagnosed. I felt guilty. Why couldn’t you have the same news as me? We came out of our worries, stronger – fiercer, and grateful. Stitch is the meditation that eludes so many. I often hear people say they can’t quiet their mind. I want to hand them cloth & thread to show them that they can – one little stitch combined with another starts the slower breathing, the quieter mind, the peace. I am so grateful to have you in my life and to know there is another cat/bird/cloth/thread/walk lover on the far coast who “gets” me. Love you Miss Melly!
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I wish I could sit there stitching along with you. And I wish I could be at craft NAPA. Your classes sound wonderful. Perhaps one day I’ll make it across the big ocean and the big continent. Meanwhile I’ll be following you from this little corner of the globe. Thank goodness for the internet! 🙂
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Wouldn’t it be fun to be in a Melly class together? I’m not sure we’d get a lot of work done, but oh the fun we would have. I would coerce my hubby to drive me anywhere and will my body to behave just to be in a classroom with you and Melly. xo
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So glad the tests came back negative! Understandable… the fear. Wonderful, the news, and the walking so good for you including stress reduction! Blessings on you and your family… enjoy every moment!
Hugs,
Judy
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The news about a clean scan is such a relief. I’m sure you can believe it but I find it hard to imagine that the news of your cancer happened 5 years ago. I want to tell you how much joy I feel when I think of you coming out on the other side of that experience and that you not only survived it, you have become a powerful voice for living well beyond the experience of cancer. I love you and I am so proud to call you my friend.
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