Sometimes my mind wanders and I picture myself trapped in a culture or society where women have no rights and are subservient.

How would I keep my thoughts and desires to myself, when inside, I am a rebel at heart and must express my creativity? Or, what if I lived in the pioneer days? Would I have the fortitude to do all the tasks required to survive? When I picture myself getting up before dawn to fire up ye ole’ woodstove and boil up some coffee, I am mortified! I am a late riser and need at a minimum, two cups of coffee before I am the least bit civil. As it is now, my wonderful husband gets up much earlier than I; he gets the coffee going, and brings me a cup when I am finally ready to roll out of bed.

Just thinking about the possibility of being born into the pioneer era, making soap, baking bread, stitching up the family’s clothing by hand, milking the cows, feeding the chickens and harvesting the vegetables and fruit from the garden, gives me a headache! When would there be time for me to write or to create quilts? I’d be so bloody exhausted; I’m sure I would just fall into bed the minute the sun went down. Forget any notions of me sitting by the fireplace in my cozy rocking chair, stitching together quilts by candlelight by hand. I don’t know how women survived in those days! I’m such a wus.

Let’s face it, most of us dream about bettering our lives in one form or another. But today, I think about how fortunate I am compared to many in our community. I think about the huge number of unemployed in our community and how unemployment has snowballed, resulting in higher levels of homelessness, loss of business in our community, lack of health care for many people, and a change of family dynamics. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about families living in their cars, or worse yet, on the streets.

So despite our losses in the downturn of the economy I want to focus on the things that I am grateful for. I’m thankful we still have our home, are able to pay the bills, and put food on the table. I’m thankful I have a supportive husband. I’m thankful I have a sturdy sewing machine and fabrics and tools necessary to design and create quilts. I am thankful I am able to travel to share and teach my quilting techniques with other quilters around the globe. I am thankful I have a working computer so I can write this column, magazine articles, and books. I am thankful for my supportive family and my wonderful friends. There are bazillion things I am thankful for, but alas, I can’t name all of them today.

I am sure many of us are guilty of taking things for granted, I certainly am. In a nutshell, what I really want to say to you today is, I feel blessed and I am thankful.