About a month ago, one of our lovely customers lost his life to cancer. We didn't know lots about Geoff Urwin, like what he did for work or where he lived, but when he came into the shop with his beloved dog Squirrel, we enjoyed sharing our love for fibre and the beautiful things that he made by knitting. His curiosity sparked his creative spirit and that, in combination with his zeal to learn new things, resulted in some beautiful garments, cushions and even a jumper for Squirrel. It was a joy to see him come through the door and we all felt blessed that he shared this part of his creative life with us.Since his passing, I've found my mind pondering the impact that Geoff's friendship had on me and the staff at WOTE. It's made me think about the great capacity that relationships have, even gentle, brief ones, to make life more meaningful. In my mind, I see a carousel of beautiful people who've touched my life over the years at the shop. Truly, one of our greatest blessings in opening the door each day, are the people who come through and share their stories, their struggles, their bravery, and their triumphs when it all goes right.
So I'm thinking that now, with the outside world making it hard to stay positive, and with the curse of Christmas marketing eating away at our sanity, we should turn to our fibre friends and share something. It doesn't have to be big, as long as it's done with the spirit of loving kindness. Just like Geoff did.