In Awe of Warmth

This past October, I went to the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York. This is the largest of its kind in the country. It’s an amazing place and a person can get lost in time there.

It’s candy for the eyes with every imaginable color and type of yarns, many of which are from the sheep of these yarn sellers. There are knitters galore and wannabe ones, spinners who will show you how to spin raw wool into yarn, beautiful handcrafted items made of…….yup, you guessed it, wool and much more.

There’s also my favorite alpaca vendor from whom I buy something every year- beautiful handmade mittens one year, socks the next, gorgeous warm alpaca sweaters, and a cozy black and raspberry color hat this year. Of course, there are also all of the beautiful sheep, alpacas, llamas, goats, and angora rabbits to pet and swoon over. And there’s delicious food to eat ranging from vegetarian to lamb meals.

Being surrounded by all these special animals, spinners, weavers and knitters is a beautiful opportunity for gratefulness. We get to see first hand the source of our warm clothing and all the love and effort put into what we tend to take for granted every day.

Just think about it. When we’re cold, we just turn up the thermostat, crank up our car’s heater, put on a woolen sweater or hat and off we go onto the rest of our day. Who thinks about all the effort it takes to give us this comfort of warmth? And how fortunate we are, those of us who have warmth.

It takes monumental loving effort on the part of the animal farmers, the spinners, weavers and knitters for their beautiful warm creations that keep the cold far away from us. I’m in awe of all that effort!

The next time I slip on my newest alpaca hat and warm mittens, I’m going to inwardly give thanks to the farmer, animal and craftsperson who made my warmth possible.