No Greater Love

I figured I would take time to publish another blog in the interim of my next post "Male Pattern Baldness".  The next post will be completed upon my first two quilts being
"completely" completed.

First and foremost a couple of more random facts about me.....I love the TV series "The Office" and I can also do the Carlton dance from  The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Now on to a more serious note.....
The King James Version of the Bible says this in John 15:13- Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

In 1st Corinthian 13:13 it says this...
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Most people will substitute the word LOVE for charity.

My daughter is a 4H-er and I went to the young adult/teen camp and they had the end of camp council circle and I really enjoyed it. I was never a 4H person, my wife was though.  Needless to say there was a brief moment that moved me in which a very young member could not get one of those long candle lighters lit to start the bonfire. An older member got up and went to help him. The beautiful part was that he did not light it for him, but he gently placed his hands over the younger person's hand and HELPED him light the fire....he stayed the whole time and after the mission was accomplished and the older gave the younger the nod of approval he reminded him then (and only then) to remove his hat while in the circle....It was one of the sweetest moments of my life...

That brings me to the next part.....As I mowed I had a
self help/success audit book playing while I mowed the yard the next day and the story was talking about the "mastermind" and how surrounding yourself with the right people (positive and knowledgeable) will bring about a mastermind and you will be able to find solutions to problems that would otherwise go undiscovered.  Knowledge is power...and so it is reasonable to believe that knowledge in numbers is even great power. 

My life (referring back to the first John 15:13 above) has been a life of service to my fellow man and so it continues.  I thrive on this...it is who I am. I am the sheepdog among the wolves and sheep. http://www.gleamingedge.com/mirrors/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html 
A great read to understand why Law Enforcement (including corrections), EMS, and Military (to name a few) do what they do. 

My wife has sacrificed her life also to allow this.

So, I have watched as she has grown as a quilter and I have watched with interest.  I never thought i would be interested in quilting but then again I didn't think that I would become an instructor/teacher either. Needless to say I had to patterns I was looking at...

I have a natural affinity for yellow and purple and had plans to use on of these with...

These colors....but it was not to be...

Introduce Sandra at  http://www.mmmquilts.com  to the rescue.  She had a pattern she was looking at pattern testing...I thought "an opportunity to pay my wife back for her time she has given...to allow me to have the career I wanted"....and it was an opportunity to dabble into something that would give  me a better appreciation for a hobby my wife- http://www.tishnwonderland.com
 enjoyed. So, I nonchalantly offered to pattern test.  I am pretty sure at first neither my wife nor Sandra could believe it.  Fast forward to today, two versions of the quilt are almost completed. Just need to bind and wash them. Sandra is a wonderful person that has paid it forward to us. There are others that have also paid it forward and I plan to do the same.  I love the statement "No one has ever gone poor by giving". Thanks Sandra...and others that have already given to us more than they ever should have or had too. Thanks also to Sandra for letting me pattern test. It was an honor.

So how does this all tie in....well that is where the second (1st Corinthians 13:13) .....And the GREATEST of these is LOVE.  I am at a point in my lie where so many have contributed to my success (again my boss...Randy Perdue) http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/randyperdue/
I hope some day to follow in his foot steps and complete the John Maxwell program on leadership speaking (it is not a cheap or easy endeavor). It is my turn to return the favor, but in the same aspect it will benefit me in the long run. As I listened to my self help the chapter said ideas would flood to me....and FLOOD to me they did. So much that I had to stop mowing and run in and get a note pad and start writing. I carry one with me all the time now.  So all that is said to say this....a bit of a "throw down" of a challenge to my wife....I said it this weekend....and now I put it in writing to CODIFY it as one of my life goals.  I am going to first get my wife her sit down longarm machine that she has long wanted.  We will get a Gammill machine and someday my goal is for her to have her own shop.  I will not likely be the main quilter but would love to produce them both as gifts for friend and family, but also to sell some to put the money back into the goal pot. I like the Husqvarna machines we have, but I kinda want a Bernina  myself. 

I have rambled on to say this. I am in, what I would consider a perfect place in life, and I don't think it is any stroke of luck. It is simply synchronistic and serendipitis that all things have come together as they have.  We are in the perfect position for a "mastermind" among friends in the quilting arena that will help my wife grow in all the ways we need to be successful in the future endeavors related to quilting.  Again, I have thrown down the gauntlet for my wife and I encourage YOU (the reader) to encourage her to take concrete steps towards the realization of her dream, and my dream for her.

My humble and sincere thanks to those that have helped my wife and encouraged her along the way.  My utmost sincere thanks for accepting me into the fold as a blogger ( in of all things....quilting). My how things take what would appear to be strange turns. 

Teaser....Male Pattern Baldness....coming soon to a blog near you!