shall i embrace or let go?
This is a place where I share my musings, sometimes about life, sometimes sharing quilt stories. Today, I’m confessing.
My sister and I recently had to make a hard call about a family member and because of that, the family member is no longer speaking to me. It was a tough love decision we made and I knew we might pay a heavy price. And we are. Or I should say, I am. My sister seems to be unscathed and I am facing a void I’m not used to.
It’s been a sad month for me because I am used to speaking to my family member more often, sometimes just to check in, but usually we have good and meaningful conversations that leave me feeling both loved and loving. I have struggled with our relationship as it stands now as well as with all that is going on in this world. I am tired, I am worn. I am exhausted but can’t get tired enough to get a good night’s sleep.
But I took some time to leaf through my copy of Magnolia Journal Magazine this morning and a story by Billy Jack Brawner gently nudged me in a different direction. The title is what inspired me and invited me in for more; “The Embrace of Taking Hold and Letting Go.”
And in it, Brawner talks about what an embrace really can be. Here is the paragraph that spoke ever so gently to me:
“An embrace is knowing the look when sorrow is heavy and words aren’t enough, and it’s seeing someone for who they really are with all the grace in the world, and it’s seeing yourself for who you really are with all the grace in the world”
Brawner’s ten concise paragraphs, (I first wrote small & concise but his paragraphs are anything but “small”) some only a sentence long, pack such a punch in just one page.
Another paragraph struck me and I’ll share it here before I let you go:
“An embrace often requires patience and invites us to make space, to stretch out, to slowly unfold”
Brawner’s is a story of love, a poem about life. It’s an ode to giving and receiving, nurturing and becoming.
If you can pick up a copy of the Fall, 2025 Magnolia Journal Magazine or if you can discover it at your library, don’t hesitate to turn to page 22 and read for yourself.
As for me and my family member, I’m doing my best to allow for space, while embracing the possibilities. I confess I’m not necessarily good at this and I’m not comfortable with where we stand right now but with Brawner in my corner, I’m more confident than not. I hope if you read it, you’ll find the gems therein, too.
Thank you for listening to my musings month after month. I appreciate that I have your support, your listening ear. Remember, I’ve put together a journal for quilter’s to write their own musings as they make their beautiful creations. You can find a copy of The Story of Your Quilt here. I am also working on a second book full of the quilt stories you’re helping to write. If you’d like to share your story, please comment below so we can get the conversation started!