 | Something Quirkier |
| Read some of the selected stories that have been gifted to the project. Pictures of works that were inspired by a story are pictured below the text. See the catalogue for the full range of stories. |
I had gone to the supermarket for my elderly mother and for some reason I had forgotten my wallet, which I didn’t find out until I got to the counter. There was a man either behind me or just ahead of me, I can’t remember which it was now, he must have been ahead of me, but I realised that I didn’t have any money with me, and I sort of stood there trying to figure out what I was going to do. I said to the cashier, “Look I’m sorry, I can’t find my wallet.” I was about to put all my groceries back and go back to get my purse because I had money…. but this man just turned around slapped a $50 note down near the till and said, “Here let me pay for it”. “Thank you very much that’s very kind of you, can I have…” and before I could ask for his number he had gone. I never saw him again and it certainly wasn’t fifty dollars worth of groceries. Even though I was in a suburb where people were fairly well off it was still an act of kindness, he didn’t have to do that. It shocked me because no one had ever done anything like that before to me and I don’t think it was because of any apparent disability on my part. as told by Pam, May, 2023. |
For me, a cup of tea is a small blessing. It doesn’t matter if I am having one alone or sharing a pot of tea with family or friends: it is a pause in my day that is pleasurable. I stop, make my pot of tea, select my cup or mug, choose where to sit and enjoy it. It is intrinsically a form of relaxation and either calm, comfort and / or joy.
Nikki, Canberra.
Amidst the pandemic in October 2021, I went in to have major surgery at John James Hospital.
One day early on in the piece, which turned out to be a 6 month stay, one of the nurses came in and handed me a plastic bag with a yellow crocheted blanket in it.
At the time I thought “What a lovely gesture” that she had made towards me, unbeknownst that I would spend the next 6 months in hospital and the blanket would come in handy every day for the 6 months that I was there.
Since then I have had 2 hospitalisations and I have taken this yellow blanket with me. And every time someone comes in who hasn’t seen the blanket they comment on the colour, which is this light yellow, which is not my colour at all, but everyone comments on how beautiful it is. They ask me if I made it and the answer is “No, but it was given to me by a nurse who must have known somehow that I would end up in this hospital for a long time.”
This blanket has turned out to be a small blessing that has been appreciated by so many people that I have lost count. I always share that this was made by the Country Women’s Association Evening Branch. I sent them a letter – a card in an envelope - to thank them. I don’t know who made it, but it has a little tag (professionally done). I always tell visitors about the lovely nurse that gave the blanket to me.
So it started out as a small blessing that has endured over the last two years. And so again I was thinking about what small blessings means to me. They come in many forms – small ones like this gesture that can lead into bigger gestures down the track. And while I can’t reciprocate by crocheting my own blanket, I would love to be able to repeat that and forward it on. But at least I can thank the lovely ladies from the evening branch. I hope they got the card and know that someone appreciated their gesture. Small, but means a lot to me and means a lot to other people when they come in as they all have a smile on their face and say “What a beautiful crochet blanket you have!”
When I think about this blanket I feel warmth – physical and emotional warmth. Each time I think of the nurse I feel good. It’s a feel-good feeling.
The blanket reminds me of daffodils and reminds me of the people that come in and appreciate it for the skill of the person who made it. Appreciating an art form. I am constantly amazed that people appreciate crochet!
as told by Pam, May, 2023.
Cathy has shared her story (in song form) that connects with the theme ‘Small Blessings’ – hopefully someone feels inspired to make something for the exhibition or to develop a script or short movie in response. Listen to the song by clicking on the photo below.
Any garden is a blessing. It is the product of someone’s vision and hard work. My garden is just one, but it gives me joy. It is ever changing; from one season to another, at different times of day, and depending on my outlook. It is productive, challenging and always satisfying. I love my garden.
Nikki, May, 2023.
Back to top#6. Like joy and surprise
Transcript of a conversation:https://youtu.be/QM3QE6aTLGQ
Check out the photos after the transcript.
LP: When I say small blessing, what does that mean to you?
LR: Oh, taking my bubba to Japan, Ellie to Japan. And we went to Planet Labs. And it was like Christmas, walking with all the Christmas Lights. And we saw all the fishies.
LP: And then you think about that story how do you feel?
LR: Oh amazing. It was like Christmas but better! Yeah
(Ellie waves and blows a kiss)
LP: So obviously Christmas is bringing positive memories. What is it especially about Christmas that you go, yep, that was a blessing?
LR: Like magic… hard to... I don’t know…how do we explain that? Just like joy… and family… and surprise
Ellie: Ahhhh ah!
LP: Thankyou.
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#7. Gift in a dark moment
Click on this photo to hear Jillian tell her story.
LP: What does “small blessings” mean to you?
JR: I really like little sayings. And one of my favourites is “In every dark moment there is a gift for you.” So even though the situation might seem really dark, somewhere in there, there is something that is special to come out of it.
LP: So have you got a story that is about a small blessing?
JR: So a friend of mine, her mother was very ill and in palliative care. And she was estranged from her son and grandson and the situation brought them all back together again. And that was her gift in that dark moment.
But also its kind of why I do mosaics… you might have a beautiful cup and saucer and it gets broken, you can tur it into something else that is beautiful… its kind of the theory behind my art.
LP: So how do you feel when you are creating a mosaic from something that has been broken?
JR: I mean it’s sad that the thing that you loved is broken, but how much happier it is to turn it into something else that is beautiful and useful.
#17. A conversation between birds.
"I live in an apartment, and I was on the couch and a couple of cockies [cockatoos] flew up to the balcony and were just ok with me being inside and looking at them and being there. And they were doing their curious dance as they do, sort of just poking around, and I think one of them started eating a plant, a succulent, that I had out there, but it needed pruning so that was ok. And they flew off and then they both came back pretty quickly and one of them decided that time was off and flew away. And I could see the other one looking down at the other one a thinking “I don’t want to go yet.” And I could hear the first make this sound that pretty much sounded like “Are ya coming?’” in their squawk language. And the one that remained sort of looked back inside, looked to the direction that the first one had flown away and just followed “Like fine, I guess”. And it was just so unexpected because I don’t usually see native birds at all on the balcony (there’s plenty in the surrounding trees). And you can always hear the cockatoos at morning tea and after work, I thing that’s when they have their gossip sessions, what’s happened in their day. But it’s just really lovely to witness a conversation between birds.”
Stef, June, 2023.
#68. Someone to come home to.
Every day I come home from work and my adult children (William and Meagan) make me a cup of tea and this always helps me to unwind and open up about my day. I am blessed that there is someone to come home to.
Linda, Canberra, September 2023.
During lockdown I started taking photos of wildlife and trees on my daily walk. I would often hear the kookaburras but I could never see them. Then, one day, just a metre away from me there it was - a kookaburra in all its photographable glory! I took some wonderful photos to add to my "walks of lockdown" collection. Seeing that kookaburra made me smile and feel really good. That was a small blessing.
Desi, Melbourne.
Stitching kit created by Lynn in response to Desi’s story (hand dyed wooden blanket by Chris, pictures drawn on tulle, embroidery thread). Desi is working on completing this patch for ‘Enveloped.'
One day, when walking in a local park with my daughter, we thought we heard the sound of drumming akin to a bongo or something similar. It was during one of Melbourne's lockdowns, and there didn't seem to be anyone around. As the drumming sound got louder, we spotted a mob of emus hanging around the fence to the wildlife reserve. We had never experienced the noise an emu makes, but we learnt that day that it sounds like drums! The small blessing was that my daughter had brought her phone with her, something she rarely does on walks, and so we were able to film it and share it with my sick husband who was at home. A drummer himself, he was very surprised to hear the sound!
Desi, Melbourne.
Lynn is going to create a patch that shows an emu’s call (a sound print made by Stef from her recording of the emu).
#88. Shared stories
Its a response to another CRF (Canberra Region Feltmaker) member hosting me over the Feltmakers Convergence in Canberra - a small blessing (it was big actually) and we shared our stories - her from NZ and me from sheep country Rye Park. Everything in my picture is common to both of us, the rural scenery and SHEEP! Story and patch from Annette. Approx size: 36cm x 38cm. Appliqué hand made felt.
A patch for ‘Enveloped.
In 2008 I had the great good fortune to travel to Japan. It was a serendipitous happening. I’d had an unexpected gift of an airfare. My dad had passed away the previous year and had always expressed a wish to return to the Japan of his youth, but life in New Zealand, mortgage, kids, etc. meant he never made it. So I decided to take him with me - in my pocket...
We'd always had a quiet Japanese presence in our rural New Zealand home: eggshell china teasets, geisha dolls etc. - the result of dad's tour to Japan as part of the combined Australian New Zealand repatriation troops called J Force. He was a 19 year old country kid with no particular skill set who joined the NZ Military Force in 1947 to help out after the bombing of Nagaski. He was stationed at Shimonoseki and celebrated his 21st birthday there.
As you might imagine the experience changed him profoundly.
Dad developed a lifelong love and respect for the Japanese people: the beauty, elegance, manner and custom of their culture, and particularly their grace and dignity in the face of the horror they'd experienced.
He formed a lifelong abhorrence of conflict and war. Somehow this passed into me.
I took some of his ashes back to Nagasaki and planned to sprinkle them in gardens surrounding Te Korowai Rangimarie - a gift of solidarity and friendship in the form of a monument from the people of New Zealand to the people of Japan. It's an impressive stainless steel cloak of peace and I knew dad would rest peacefully there in the Nagasaki Peace Park.
On the last day of my trip my plans were nearly derailed by extraordinary monsoonal rains. Had it not been for the grace and generosity of a young boy on the tram I may never have completed my task.
Beauty, elegance, manner and custom still on display after all these years - I saw what dad had meant.
I wrote a poem that night.
Nagasaki
The boy on the tram was kind
His eyes full of concern as he gazed at the rain drenched foreigner
He offered his umbrella as she began to disembark
She politely refused
He politely insisted
She was gracious in her acceptance
The lilies in her hand the result of an awkward exchange the previous night
Mounting disquiet on the face of the florist that the foreigner was making a regrettable choice
Prayer hands up
Some pseudo Catholic crossing
Some pointing at the sky
“Papa”
“Heaven”
Seemed to bridge the cultural impasse
So here she is,
Ashes in hand
5000 miles from his home
Bringing him to this chosen place of rest
Not exactly home for him
More a coming of age place
A ‘can’t shake it off for the rest of your life’ place
An impressionable young man in a devastated land
Pip Sturgeon, Brisbane, by way of New Zealand.
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Listen to Pip tell her story. #94. Shipwrecked
A story from Rebecca, September 2023.
#95. A newly creative person
Viv collected this story from a participant at the Feltmakers' Convergence in Canberra. This person had become a newly creative person after the confinement of a life as a public servant. Key words from the story were “darkness to light”.
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A patch for ‘Enveloped’.
#96. Still here.
A small blessing is something that brings and gives joy. An experience related to a small blessing: I guess given last year, that the people that I care for the most, got through what they did.... cancer and heart conditions and things like that. I was very thankful for that. Thankful that these people that I love are still here.
Helen, August, 2023.
A bird for ‘A conversation between birds’.
#99. Small terrestrial native orchid
In Australia every year in the bush, small terrestrial native orchids push there heads up. Some are the size of a 20 cent pieces, some are so tiny you don't know they are there unless you are looking out for them. We go out searching for them in spring and over a period of a few months there are waves of different types come up and colour the ground. No one gardens, no one waters, no one plants , there is no fee to see them, they are free to everyone who looks. Finding these exquisite flowers are like going out on a treasure hunt every time. Spring time is a season I look forward to the most cause of these small blessings.
Annette, NSW. September 2023.
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