Mending and ironing are simple tasks. Tedious, but in some cases rewarding. I spent today doing both. It seemed like my world, and the world in general, had become so muddled and torn that doing something tactile, something I could control, would make a difference, at least to me. And maybe a difference to the keeping of this home, this house, this place where we live and breathe, and create a safe and somewhat serene place for family and friends.
One of the things I came across in the ironing basket, which has sat, neglected, for so long, was a tea towel. I'm not sure why they are called tea towels, because in my whole life long (and it's long) I have only ever known them to be used to dry dishes or hands, or pick up hot pots. 
I embroidered this tea towel ten years ago when I retired. Embroidery seemed to me a good way to make ordinary, useful things, also beautiful. And it has been used in that way. But when I picked it up to iron it, I saw that it had been torn and stained. The tear couldn't be repaired, it was, indeed, a hole. So I had to trim the damaged part and hem it. But -- somehow it worked. It's still useful, and it's still beautiful. Well, at least to my eyes.
Finding something useful and beautiful in this world, at this time, is so critical. I hope you can do that each and every day. Even if it means a simple task like ironing, or mending. Or painting a pot or sweeping a floor. Putting things right matters, no matter how small the task. Useful and beautiful matters.
