Once upon a time there was a fine lady named Alice, who was an expert seamstress. Alice had a beautiful daughter, very tall and slender with a thick braid of golden hair that swung in sassy fashion as she walked. Her daughter’s name was Mary Lynn, and she was about to set out on her first adventure into the world; Mary Lynn was headed for New York.
Alice wanted her daughter to shine in the big city, so she set about to sew a classic wool skirt—A-line to complement Mary Lynn’s graceful form. She lined the skirt with care (and magic spells) and hemmed it with perfection. And then she presented it to her daughter saying: “You will be all you need to be in this skirt.”
And it was true! Mary Lynn went to the big city and wore her magic skirt often, each time feeling confident and beautiful. As time went on, of course, Mary Lynn had many adventures, and the skirt was tucked carefully away in her closet more and more. It’s magic still present but not as necessary as Mary Lynn began to weave her own magic as she grew into a fine lady like her mother.
While Mary Lynn loved the skirt, she came to wear it less and less, and this is how the magic skirt came to me. She presented it as a special gift, and for many more years, I wore it with confidence, feeling the magic of Alice and my friend all around me. But like my friend, my life has moved on and I have come to need “professional clothes” less and less. So the magic skirt remained tucked safely in my closet, until…..
I met Mo! Mo is a talented textile artist who has a table at the Goshen Community Market. Her rug tapestries are mesmerizing–full of feminine magic and power. She recycles old wool pieces into usable yarn and transforms the yarn into incredibly beautiful, intricate designs. And you see where this is going, I bet. Filled with birds and flowers and seasonal inspiration, each design is completely original and made by Mo’s loving hands (and magic spells).
I knew immediately how the magic that Alice put into Mary Lynn’s skirt would continue to bring joy to a larger community. The next thing I knew, I had made a new friend and found the next home for the magic skirt. Mo gained material for her artistry and the story of Alice and her daughter continues to be told…in a new way with nothing new.
The weaving of this story has, of course, a moral: If we love what we have, if we treasure family and friends, if we weave enchantment into everyday life, living becomes art. And what was once loved, remains loved, what once served continues to serve as it passes from feminine hand to feminine hand. Abundance is everywhere and begins with enough.
