Experience Needle-Time
Needle-Time is a fictional piece written to bring to life the magic that surrounds the love of carrying on the tradition of the needlearts from generation to generation. Join me for a new story each issue that will reflect the strong bond formed between Aunt Lilly and Molly through their special needle-time.
Last issue Aunt Lilly learned that saying sorry was so much easier than staying mad. Join us this issue as Aunt Lilly figures out how to help Molly's love for gardening blossom.
A Great Love
When Aunt Lilly was Molly's age, she discovered her love for gardening. She loved the smell of the earth as she tilled the soil and the color of fresh flowers as she arranged them in bunches on flowerbeds. She wanted Molly to share in this great source of joy, too, but Molly was petrified of bees and earthworms.
Anytime Aunt Lilly would kneel in the dirt and pull out weeds, Molly would sit safely on the porch and watch. And when asked to water the plants and flowers, Molly would move further back on the porch, comforted by its imaginary barrier from the busy bumblebees.
When it came to pretty flowers and delicious fruits, though, Molly's love and adoration for nature was apparent. She admired their vibrant colors and growth. She would stitch tangled vines, holly bushes and tomato plants in most all of her work. And when Aunt Lilly asked if she'd like to plant some of what she stitched, her response was a resounding, 'not on your life!'
"What a shame you let your fear get the best of you," Aunt Lilly said one day while they stitched roses on a tablecloth. You'll never be able to fully appreciate the beauty of nature if you don't take a part in making it come to life."
Molly continued to stitch a rose petal with great care. "This rose wouldn't have any petals if I didn't stitch them."
Aunt Lilly had witnessed the pink rose coming to life on the linen as Molly's needle plunged in and out of the fabric. She knew that if Molly could get past the insects, her appreciation for nature and for stitching its boundless beauty would grow even more. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.
Aunt Lilly jumped up from the table. "Come out to the porch when you finish stitching that rose," she said to Molly.
Within a few minutes, Molly opened the front door. Aunt Lilly rose from the porch and handed her niece a pair of gardening gloves. "Start digging!"
Molly's eyes grazed the area directly behind where Aunt Lilly stood. She had arranged everything Molly would need to plant her first seeds of life - a pretty planter, potting soil, tomato seeds, and a great big spoon.
Fully anticipating Molly's trepidation, Aunt Lilly prepared to defend her idea and shoot down any of her reasons for being afraid to plant. Potting soil contained no earthworms and the bees were too busy with the bushes twenty feet away.
To her surprise, Molly didn’t put up a fight. She simply grabbed hold of the gloves, put them on her hands and kneeled down in front of the planter. Without hesitating, she dug her spoon into the bag of potting soil and pulled out a great heaping mound of the nourishing soil. Before pouring the spoonful into the planter, she looked up at her and offered a great big smile. That's when Aunt Lilly knew that she just witnessed the blossoming of a great love - a love that her niece will undoubtedly hold for nature from that day forward.
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