What I do know is that as this technological tidal wave rolls in, it is going to be super important to have strong networks with others. We should also be honing or learning skills around fixing things instead of buying new; growing and preserving food; pivoting to reuse practices instead of always buying new; and perhaps MOST important: work on SAVING as much money (cash) as we can, eliminating debt, and dialing back on our mindless spending.

I chose the featured photo (top of page) as it best reflects my thoughts on the past year, or at least the year since January 21st. In many ways, my sewing, knitting, and crocheting have helped me stay sane in a world that seemed to begin to fall apart around that time.

...we cannot give from an empty vessel (an important point to remember during the holiday season).

...we cannot give from an empty vessel. For many people, this has meant waiting for OTHERS to fill them. That’s a dicey proposition, and in many ways sets us up to fail. Caring for ourselves, even in small ways, is as close to a sure thing as it gets.

Wishing everyone a heart-centered, FIBER-ARTS filled, and peaceful holiday season, this year and always.

...the BIGGEST gift of all this year is the restoration of my ability to rekindle some of the holiday magic I experienced as a child. There's no store that can sell this; no amount of money will ever be able to buy it. It came, as do all holiday tradition stories, passed down in simplicity and love.

I recently wrote a 4-part issue series of posts for my LinkedIn newsletter, "Just a Job" titled Red Alert (#1 - #4) about the reality of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workforce, and what I am seeing and hearing from a lot of colleagues and fellow professionals, which is mostly that "...AI is NEVER going to replace what I do…

For the less prepared among us, the end of the Thanksgiving feasting signals the MAD RUSH toward finishing, or making, the decorations, gifts, and accessories/outfits we have planned for this holiday season. I'm working on a grey and purple beret, featured photo at the top of this post, and using Size 2 (US) needles. I can tell you that while I'm making progress, I have little time to spare if I am going to finish this (

If you're not into this stuff, or have been hiding under a rock somewhere, you may have missed the release, within the past week, of the Prime Video documentary titled "The Age of Disclosure". My son, who is much more logical-thinking on things like this than I am, texted me and said "You need to spend the money and watch this movie…

If "Divine Truth never needs to be sold, just told!", then why are so many metaphysical centers always charging (big sums of) money to learn it!?

If prosperity teachers truly KNOW some SECRET around making money, they need to prove that it can be done without picking the pockets of people. Otherwise, their only "secret" is that a lot of people are willing to pay a lot of money to learn some elusive "shortcut" to riches.

Crafters are creative and can transform simple things into works of art. As we continue to process the stages of "grief" around the loss of community that once resided in our neighborhood Joann stores, we can move on into new ways of being in community, finding and/or creating activities and small groups that promise a different way forward on our crafting and fiber journeys.

I suspect that a decent proportion of my fabric and yarn stashes came from past sessions of "therapy browsing" on Saturday afternoons or evenings at Joann's, Michaels or in local fabric and yarn shops. While I have created many things over the years from those purchases, I have ALSO purchased a lot of fabric and yarn simply because I liked the color, or the pattern, or the texture, or just felt like I couldn't leave it in the store.

My urge to shop for fabric and yarn picks up as the season here in Western Pennsylvania turns to Autumn, bringing chilly weather and thoughts of the holidays. With Joann now only a memory, I thought that (maybe) I’d have an easier time this year, but Michaels has picked up their game around sewing and yarn, so the challenge remains.

I wrote this initially for my fiber arts blog, but I think it has a spiritual theme, so I’m sharing here too. I realized after completing my Lost Souls crochet shawl that while I generally consider myself to be someone that is eager to display my handiwork, I also have some reservations. This past week I finished my Lost Souls shawl, and it ended up being wider across the top than the span of my arms.

I started this blog several years back to highlight the positive benefits of fiber arts activities for our emotional, mental and physical health. I continue to be awed by the depths of its healing potential - for myself as well as for others.

...(a)nd then we begin to wonder if perhaps that aching scar tissue is just a louder version of that still, small voice.