Perfect moments

You know, sometimes in life you just have to stop for a minute and be. Take a breath, look around, and appreciate where you are and what is happening right then in that moment. I did that several times this past weekend and it made me feel so full of joy that I can't describe it.

Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is the weekend I most look forward to all year. And let me tell you, friends, I was not disappointed! The weather was awesome. The food was delicious. There were lovers of all things warm and fibery everywhere I looked. There were friends and acquaintances and new people to meet. There were animals and kids and spinners and knitters and crocheters and weavers and dyers and craftspeople of all persuasions. It was a cacophony of joy and happiness.

And I loved every minute of it. At one point I looked up from my spinning wheel, listened to some of the vibrant conversation and laughter going on around me, looked at the blue sky, the kids running around, the group of people clustered under the oak tree spinning, my friends nearby, and I just drank it in. And honest to goodness, I turned to Melissa and said, "This is a perfect moment." Because it was.

I could go on about the wonderful things I came home with -- yarn and fiber and handmade tools of the fiber trade and so on -- but that's really not the essence of the experience for me. There simply is no place on earth that I could have been last weekend that would have put a bigger smile on my face. Not even if it was sitting in front of a $1 million jackpot in Vegas. I kid you not.

These are my people. This is my joy.

Words cannot adequately express how privileged I feel to be part of this community, to know such wonderful people, to be able to take the time to simply stop and savor the entire experience.