Last December (2009) the Yarn Harlot had a brief post about Christmas not being the normal Harlot Family Christmas. I don't remember much about the post itself as I'm sure we've all had times in our lives when things are not what we were expecting. Anyways, I must have had a good deal of free time on my hands, because I began reading all the "replies". On my blog, that's usually a quick 5 second glance - on Stephanie's you need to pack a thermos and snacks -you're going to be awhile.
I'm glad I did. About three quarters of the way in, I found a stand out reply. This one was from Dye Pot girl.
Dear Stephanie,
I'm so sorry that you guys are having a tough time now and I definitely understand your need for a little privacy and understanding. You got it sister!!!
My family isn't having a normal Christmas either. It's been a weird and very stressful month. First I had an eye problem and it knocked me out of commission for the first 2 weeks of December. I'm sure you can see what kind of havoc an unexpected eye problem would have on a fellow knitter during December. Yep, it blows the whole knitting schedule right out of the water! Then a very dear friend of mine, who had Pancreatic cancer, went into the hospital for the last time and died on the 19th.
His name was Chris and he was an awesome and amazing lace knitter. He was a medic in Vietnam, and was wounded while he was trying to save others. He was blind in one eye and saw double in the other, yet he created some of the most beautiful lace pieces I have ever seen. He was an alcoholic who took up knitting to help himself recover from his addiction and once he started knitting lace, he never stopped. He was always designing shawls, scarves, and other lacy things and giving them to friends and loved ones. I consider myself very fortunate to have several of his pieces. He also designed and donated several shawls every year to be raffled off to raise money for Breast Cancer research. When the local paper heard about him and wanted to do a story, he gladly agreed. He thought that maybe it would help other alcoholics know that it could be done and encourage them to try and get help. His whole life was like that. He was always thinking of and taking care of others.
I like to think that you and Chris would have hit it off. He couldn't read your post because the computer screens really bothered his eyes, but every so often after you had posted an entry that I thought he would particularly like, I'd call him up and read it to him. He thought you were charming, funny, and very insightful.
I'm sorry this is so long, but I don't blog and as I read your post today I thought that maybe hearing about Chris might make you smile. He would really like that, considering you made him crack up on more than one occasion. Your post today also made me think about two other friends, Tommy and Henry, that died a few days before Christmas, in two different years, a long time ago. This year I did the same thing that I did then, I tried to make the time I spent with others during the holidays as meaningful and loving as I could. I gave up worrying about the knitting gifts that weren't done. The reasons they weren't done was out of my control and they won't get done any faster by my freaking out. I've tried to enjoy and appreciate all my friends and family more, and worry about things like cooking and decorating less. I love doing all that stuff but this year I just didn't have the time to do all the planning and when I did have time, frankly my heart just wasn't it. In other words, I've let myself and all those I love off the hook. As far as I'm concerned, (and like you said) the fact that we are all together, warm, fed, and able to enjoy each others company and love each other is enough for me. Anything above and beyond that is like putting whipped cream on top of the world's most awesome cheesecake. My motto lately is "No worries!" and I'm doing my best to live up to that motto. Sometimes I forget, but so far I've managed to snap back and remember what's important. I know that I'm preaching to the choir here, but I guess I just wanted you to know that there are a bunch of us in the same program.
Many blessing to you and your family. I'm sure that what ever difficulties you guys are facing, you'll be able to handle them all with love and get through it. Happy Boxing Day and thanks for letting me share my friend with you.
PS: It's said that once something is put on the internet, it lasts forever. Chris would get a big kick out of that thought.
