I spent the week-end at a retreat with the vestry of my church. It was a working retreat, yet I’m feeling so refreshed from the time spent with people who are dedicated to the life of our church and want to see it grow and flourish. The setting was so bucolic – The Silver Penny Farm – which is a retreat center on a farm with sheep and baby lambs romping on the hillside. The main building is a beautiful old farm house with a big fireplace.

We spent some time yesterday thinking about those in the church for whom we are grateful. Someone had brought some lovely thank you cards and we wrote messages to about 35 people. Everyone agreed that it was a very satisfying activity – putting words on paper that express how you feel about someone.

I was reminded of my challenge this year to send fabric post cards as thank yous and for other special occasions. This afternoon I made these three cards that will go in the mail tomorrow. The two on the left are made from my fused antique Kimono stash. The flower card is made of hand-dyes and commercial fabrics.

Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for. Terry Lynn Taylor