Holidays and other large scale events would probably come together more efficiently if I traveled straighter paths than I tend to. I would argue the way there would be a lot less delightful, however. One thing I know about myself is that the longer the list of my responsibilities, the longer my list of creative outlets needs to be to balance it all out. As my children grow they, too, seem to turn to working with their hands as the pace of life picks up. 

Moira gravitates to the piano between jobs and her new training program.  She pounds out old recital pieces, church hymns, and popular songs and loses herself in the music for a time. 

Kieran has become our go-to guy when a cabinet comes off its hinges or a shelf needs to be hung or an item assembled. He has keen engineering sense and seems to really enjoy the process.

As Alannah's semester was winding down she took breaks from studying to teach herself new crochet stitches, completing several projects. 

The little girls are no different. Though it's late December and company is arriving soon they convinced me to sit for an hour so they could try again to learn to chain stitch.  We tried last year but it ended in frustration.  Tess assured me this time would be different and she proved right.  Soon after, Abbie Rose said she had been watching closely and was certain that she could manage as well if I had another hook.  She too took off.

We dug out the craft boxes still packed from the move all these months later.   I hesitated for a moment as I handed Tess the yarn we found.  It was my Gram's last skein. Red wool which made up many pairs of mittens in the last century. At first I figured she would stitch a few minutes and lose interest. She got the idea to make garland, however, and before long she had many yards stitched together.  

It seemed fitting that my girls worked the yarn rather than it sitting enshrined and unused. It was part of my childhood, now part of theirs in a different way.

Our lists are unfinished. We are still plugging away.  We will get there in our roundabout way. This little side trip was worth the time.