Maya The Tin Art Apprentice

 After cutting and placing your tin,

You should take a picture or walk away for awhile so that when you come back, you can be sure that you like it.

After deciding that you like it,

You should tape the tin in place.

When starting the nailing process,

You should pre-drill a hole with a masonry nail before driving in the finishing nails.

When driving in the finishing nails,

You should drive them in half-way in case something has shifted and you need to make a change.

If you are happy with your final design,

You should drive the nails fully into place.

If a nail goes crooked,

You should use pliers to gently straighten it or pull it out to replace it. 

When you finish your tin-art piece,

You should feel proud and display it.

 

Such is the process that I went through on Tuesday

As I hung out at our booth during the Lillington 4^th of July Celebration.

The day was uncomfortably and extremely hot,

And we ended up losing money by being there,

But I got to see some friends,

Test my hand at a new quilt square pattern,

And introduce my favorite 7-year-old to this hobby that has become my pasttime.

In the end, I deemed the day okay.

 

During the hottest hours of the day,

When no one was visiting the booth,

I decided to pass the time by making a quilt square.

I picked an ambitious design with ambitious pictures and colors,

And I worked on the square for hours, only to realize 

That the pieces didn’t fit together well and

That there were too many gaps and imperfections for the square to be sold.

Still, I allowed the focus of hammering to take away the disappointment of the day, and

I drove the nails half-way into place,

Made some adjustments,

And then began the process of driving the nails fully into place.

But the nails didn’t want to move with a plastic table as the hammering base,

And it was making a lot of noise.

So I stopped.

 

But then Maya-My-Favorite-Seven-Year-Old took over.

She picked up the hammer and began banging the nails into place.

She’d drive one crooked,

Pick up the pliers,

Woman-handled the nail back in place,

And then keep going.

She did this for a long time,

Until all the nails,

(And it was a lot of nails),

Were in place and the piece was finished.

 

Maya then decided to sell the piece to the vendor next door.

She asked for $5.

He gave her $10.

She was thrilled.

I was too.

She pocketed more than 1/5 of our profit for the entire day!

But how could I not be proud of a little tin-art maker in training?

 

Tuesday was a long, sweaty day.

It was full of false hope and let-downs.

But Maya came.

And her spirit and determination changed everything.

 

Thanks be to God.

Amen.