Monday, December 13, 2010

There's Gratitude for ya...

At 47 years old I still didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. (I don't feel grown up, but that's a post for another day.) Before I hit 30 there were many things I thought about doing. Some of them were what every other kid wants to be, like a school teacher. I realized that although I like kids, I really didn't want to be around them all day. I have 4 of my own, and I don't want to be around them all day. I relish going to the grocery by my self.

I had thought about being a photographer, but then I realized not all of them reach the status of Annie Leibowitz. I wasn't about to photograph weddings for the rest of my life. Writer! That's the ticket. But I like having a roof and food and heat, and "Harry Potter" was taken already.

So, I bumbled through life without a plan. I studied English Lit in college thinking I would get a Ph.D and teach. I got as far as getting accepted to grad school, but practicality won out and I got a job instead. I would fall in and out of jobs that sounded interesting, married a guy a couldn't stand in college, and 17 years later we have 4 kids and a great marriage. Not having a plan some times works.

Then the Husband sent me a clip about this lady. She's 98 years old and has been knitting for the troops since WWII and has no plans to stop. She has made almost 500 scarves this year alone! She donates them to a fantastic organization called Operation Gratitude that donates care packages to our service men and women. If you don't knit, they could use other donations as well, even money for postage.

After seeing the clip, I want to be Joan when I grow up. Since according to the calendar I am grown up, I should knit a scarf for the troops. So maybe those of us that knit or crochet could take a little time during the crazy busyness of the holidays to knit one scarf to donate. Joan has the other 500 covered.