Lessons In Foundations

Copyright Feb 1993, By: Sharon Romine

The lamp at the end of the couch casts a soft glow of light over Grandma's hands as she crochets. "Tiny," she says, "your loops must be very tiny." Looking at her neat chain of loops, then at mine, I felt like giving up, but once again, I tore them apart and started over.

I crocheted foot after foot of those tiny loops before she would teach me any other stitch. "You must have a good foundation before you start or you're just wasting your time," she'd say.

The subject of strong foundations came up often during our lessons. I didn't realize it back then, but now I see that many of her lessons had subtle lessons within them that were more valuable than the act at hand. Be it making the bed or getting the garden ready for planting, she always stressed the importance of taking your time and laying a strong foundation.

Many of these lessons on foundations were also learned at the kitchen table. It was here that I came at the end of a hard day at school. Resting my chin in my hands, I'd sit and watch while she made biscuits. "The flour has got to have just the right mixture of salt, grease and milk or they won't roll up right," she'd say. Then, as her tiny hands moved around in the bowl blending and rolling the dough, she'd ask me about my day and current problems.

As I learned about strong foundations and the importance of a job well done, I also learned to crochet and even learned to make biscuits, eventually, although mine never have come out a smooth and light as hers.

More important than this, I learned to take time and think about what I'm doing. Her basic principle of laying a strong foundation for all things has guided me through many a tricky minute when I've wanted to rush into the heart of something.

Whatever you're building, be it a house, a marriage, or the morals of a child, take time and care, They'll need a strong foundation to fall back on when the going gets bad. Give them something that can withstand the winds of time.

Lessons In Foundations

Published in U S Legacies Magazine December 2003

Grandma's Kitchen