40 Diamonds for 40: "Martha Stewart" Ms. T***.

Ms. T*** pictured here (not her real name) was the first to respond to my invitation for this project, and what a way to kick it off!

It is she who really is the diamond. I was so happy and relieved to learn that although I was leaving my "home" at Caramoor, I was going to work at a place where there were other crafters. I remember meeting her and her officemate, Lori, on my first visits to the Big J prior to my start date and feeling just wholeheartedly welcomed. Ever since then, whether I need an ear to listen, band-aids for boo-boos, thread to fix a rip or loose button, other crafty presents for family or friends, or a snack of the most delicious baked good around, I know I can turn to my multi-talented musical Ms. T***.

I love the Yankees and she lives near the Bronx, so diamond conjures up another meaning for me, but wait, that’s not it. She's asking the diamonds-in-the-rough, the little carats that we are, to help build an archival jewelry box of good ol’ stories suitable for her milestone birthday.

It is not every workplace where you will find a colleague who is a dedicated, productive, maniacal crafter. She makes it easier for me to come into the office with traces of yarn, flour, ink, and thread all over my professional clothes. I may dabble in crafts but she is a prodigious hooker, which I now know is the technical term for one skilled at using a crochet hook. In her presence, yarn stops leading the quiet life as a skein and becomes blankets, clothes, toys, and accessories. Crafting is transformative, not just for the yarn or baking ingredients, but for the joy of making things and sharing them. May her sparkly gift and talent flourish for decades more.

Thanks Ms. T***. Play on!