Knitting a Community

Every Tuesday my mom and I go to meet up with our knitting circle. It consists of a group of six ladies, more or less. Most weeks it's not all six of us. We each have our families and responsibilities that keep us away some of the time.
Nancy is a senior citizen and she has been pre- diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Her speech is labored and she is often difficult to understand. But it's well worth it to listen closely. She is so full of life. Makes one think the 'Golden Years' really are the best years of our life!
Tammy and my mom are about the same age, have grown children and grandchildren. They're both so full of wonderful advice for a young mother like myself. Tammy is an avid knitter but my mom is just learning. I try very hard to remain patient!
Katy is a little younger than those two. She's a single woman, no children but loves her dogs like they are her children! She's very crafty and sews tea towels for her little Etsy shop. Katy is moving to Wilmington North Carolina today, to be near the beach. She will be missed.
And then there is myself and my friend Alison. We're both mothers in our 30's. She's married, I'm separated. She sews handbags and pouches, I knit toys. She doesn't knit.. at all. But she sometimes brings along a project, or just comes and talks and drinks coffee.
And we all talk, and knit (or crochet, or hand sew, or just talk). We talk about our families and our work. About fiber and knitting and selling crafts. We talk about new babies and grown 'babies' and family troubles. We talk about transitions and longings. About new adventures and old habits and songs we are fond of and contestants on television shows.
We are all different and yet a common bond, a humanity and need for community bring us together... through craft. Through working with our hands and creativity.
In the end, we've got a little knitting done (or not), but we walk away with much, much more.