Go into the cave, grab the gold...

Yesterday my daughter, Em, and I spent a few wonderful hours with some of our friends. A group of us had decided to take on a knitting project called "Caps to the Capitol". We will be knitting infant caps for babies in underdeveloped countries as part of a larger "Save the Children" campaign.

So picture this...four 11 year old girls, all pretty adept at knitting. Add in three moms with varying degrees of handwork expertise and a plenty of good humor. We gathered around the living room with our yarn, needles and of course, snacks! To start us off on a high note, my good friend, Dotty, said she would help me cast on the stitches. Now, what you need to know is that I consider myself pretty capable in many areas. Handwork, however, is not my strong point! Dotty and I spent what had to be almost 30 minutes getting my stitches on the needle. We were laughing so hard we were crying.

"Into the cave, grab the gold, and go back out", I heard the girls chime in as they sat and watched these grown women- moms struggling with the process. "I'm in the cave,", I replied,
"but it's dark in here!". More laughter from us. Finally, I got it. My friend is a patient teacher.

I realized that evening, when reflecting on the good time we had, what a bonus it was for me to be so learning challenged with this simple process! I had caught a glimpse of my daughter and her friends laughing at us, and with us. How great is that, for them to experience this sense of their mothers trying something new and plodding along til they got it right! Talk about going into a cave!

Yesterday, I was able to grab the gold. I grabbed yet another treasure of a memory to tuck away in my heart. Being with my daughter and her terrific friends, being with my amazing friends and moms to these girls....and trying my hand at something that does not come easily to me. Sticking with it and being able to laugh along the way. Being thankful for spending time in a way that has a lasting impact. Now that's what I call gold.