Thursday, July 13, 2017

Thursdays Are My Favorite

This morning I realized something. Thursdays are my favorite day. Why? Because I have my knitting group.

I really like my knitting group. When we moved a year and a half ago, I wanted to continue to do something cancer support related. Not necessarily something to provide me with support for my cancer crap. But more for something to connect me to the cancer community and other cancer people.

We didn't really move that far. Probably only 10 miles as the crow flies. But in little New England towns, that can be far, far away. The town where we lived is much larger geographically than our old town but has fewer people. To get to where we used to live, we have to go to three other towns. So culturally it's another place. My father tells me we no longer have Boston weather but New Hampshire weather.

Anyway, I had to find a new place to connect to the cancer community so I approached a cancer support center closer to our new house now than before we moved. We agreed I would start a knitting group in the spring.

It's been doing pretty well, with ups and downs in terms of members. We have a core group that comes regularly. We are fairly flexible in terms of who we like to join us. The main requirement do some sort of craft that can be brought to the group - we have cross stitchers as well as knitters and crocheters and have a beader coming to join us. And probably our best knitter is a gentleman who knits items for his children and grandchildren.

The only other requirement is that everyone has to have had cancer. We initially were pretty open on who could join us. But after a few uncomfortable sessions with people who just didn't 'get it', we decided that we really only wanted to have people who 'got it' because they had had cancer too.

As a result we have a group which communicates on many levels about cancer. Our topics can be wide ranging. But its always a wonderful conversation. It seems we have connected in different ways and our crafts help bridge our differences. Some participants have said its better than their other support groups.

I look forward to every Thursday afternoon where for two hours I connect with people who understand my life in a different way than many other people.

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