One stitch at a time, taken patiently.

I can't remember exactly where I first saw this lovely quote--I think it may have been in Amanda Soule's first book, The Creative Family. It's by Oliver Wendell Holmes, a 19th century American poet and author:

Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern--it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that...one stitch at a time, taken patiently. 

How much wisdom is contained in those few words! Life is like that...one stitch at a time, taken patiently.  Indeed. We all have so many things we want to do, so many places we want to go--both literally and figuratively--that sometimes it becomes discouraging when reaching these goals feels so far away. But, if we just quietly, patiently, keep working towards our goals, one stitch at a time, one step at a time...we'll reach them.

I myself am guilty of often being impatient. I find it difficult to do "slow" work like sewing or embroidery because it feels like it's going to take forever. I've given up on more than one project for this very reason. And where larger goals are concerned, like our dream of owning our own homestead--well, sometimes it seems like it's going to take us so long to achieve it that we might as well give up right now. But this is the wrong attitude to have. Almost anything is possible if we work hard and don't give up over the long haul.

One stitch at a time, taken patiently...The image above is of a tablecloth my grandmother gave me, that was embroidered (I believe) by my great-grandmother--one stitch at at time. How long does it take to embroider a whole tablecloth? I remember my grandmother creating beautiful smocked dresses for my sisters and I when we were very small. She even made a fancy smocked dress for my Cabbage Patch doll! And my mother as well used to sew many of our clothes when we were young. Then we get to me--and I struggle with having enough patience to sew anything fancier than a hankie. I wonder if I am the only one with this problem? Perhaps many of us today are feeling rushed by the hectic pace of life, and find it difficult to really slow down.

I think I am going to place that quote somewhere where I can see it. I think it contains a good lesson for me. I need to slow down. Breathe. And get to work. One stitch at a time. The rose I'm working towards will show itself in good time. :)

(Tomorrow I'll be talking about Digital Detox Week--it proved to be a very interesting experiment!)

Comments

[Missus @ Escape to the Farm]

I don't have the patience - or the fine motor skills - for needlework, either.

Growing vegetables can be an exercise in patience, in taking one small step at a time.

Some veggies such as squash need to be planted indoors in March, but won't be harvested until October. That leaves a lot of days in between for a little bit of weeding, and a little bit of watering, one day at a time.

[Laura Jeanne]

You're right Missus, gardening is something which definitely requires patience. The payoffs are worth it though! :)

[LivingOurWay]

I am fortunate to have a husband who did our garden for the first several years of our marriage. Every year, I complained about how much time he spent in it. Every year after the first year, he told me that I never complained about the free food later. I even appreciated the food it provided. After seeing the benefits, I've been a lot more patient It helped me to start with only one plant (peas) rather than jump in with everything.