You may not even be looking, but you see something and just know, “I need to get that for so-and-so because they will love it.”
Well, a Pie Pal recently did that for me. She found these two hand-embroidered tea towels with PIES ON THEM. Of course I would love those!
What pleases me so much about these? Yes, that someone thought of me and gave them to me as a gift. But even beyond that is the fact that someone actually took the time to embroider them by hand.
Why does that matter? To make anything by hand – whether sewing, building furniture, painting or sculpting, throwing ceramics, or making a pie – requires a kind of presence. It takes literally holding something in your hands and paying attention to it. You look at it, hold it, change it, change it with your hands. It is the essence of putting your energy into something and, given that these things take time, putting something of value (your time) into it.
That energy may seem ethereal but it’s still real. Anything made by hand will always hold the energy of its maker.
So, here’s to things made by hand, made with creativity and love. Including pie!
And thanks again, Debby!