Gathering, as it has occurred to me today, is a bit different than collecting . It seems less of a hobby or a display, more of an embrace or a holding of some kind, perhaps even refreshing memory in a way. There is something lost and found about it , yes, but also something reverent. Something we may come more to depend on rather than amuse ourselves with.
Dad (the painter of this picture that hangs over my fireplace) always reminded me to remember what is important. Not just to collect thoughts but to gather them close in some sort of useful order . Not to use them to show off, but to honor them by reusing them, to celebrate them as common sense. A good memory , he always used to say, will save your life.
And there are gifts.Those things that seem to always gather here at my side on their own. Yvette so thoughtfully gathered some of her special cloth for me. I am so warmed, I didn't even need a fire this morning. There is some gathering going on over here, and as always, here...as a matter of fact as I look closely, just about everywhere. We are, in a sense, gathering together.
I'll be away for a bit. Maybe to gather my thoughts...maybe to gather mushrooms....probably to stitch some already gathered old walnut and oak dyed silk from last year... hopefully to learning from the gathering itself. Just some quiet time. 
