I believe that pointing in the direction of a path, and providing a map, is often better than holding a person’s hand as they journey on the path.
Tag Archives: Teaching
Saith Me… Leadership
Leadership should be from the front, even when it is behind the scenes.
Leading the way means to take the first steps and chart the course that others will do well to follow. This can be done behind the scenes as is the case with most organizations that rely on volunteers. While the volunteer army goes forth to accomplish the goal, their success heavily relies upon the plan and focus designed by the leadership who may very well not be with them on the battlefield.
Or in other words, a good farmer does not need to directly harvest the crop if he has a harvest plan that can successfully be followed by his field hands.
Gratitude
Reposting from 2012. Some things are good to revisit.
Original post – https://pithyponderings.com/2012/03/23/saith-me-gratitude/
Saith Me: A Timeless Condition
It seems to be a universal and timeless condition to desire being told what to do rather than taught how to do it.
Despite declarations to the contrary, humankind does seem to like the quick solution of being told what, when, and where to do something – and what to think.
Saith Me… Not Necessarily Nice
Kindness is not necessarily nice, but striving to be kind is much more virtuous that merely being nice. Truth can be kind, but truth is often not nice.
Saith Me… Nourish and Care
There will be times when we will plant the seed.
There will be times when we will harvest.
However most of our time will be spent providing nourishment and care for the garden.
Build the Boat
There is a parable of sorts that goes around about a religious man watching the flood waters rising. Rather than getting into the rescue boats or helicopter, he keeps saying God will save him. At the Pearly Gates he asks why he was not saved. The answer he receives is that two boats and a helicopter were sent.
In truth, the answer should have been, “Why didn’t you seek divine assistance and build yourself the boat before the flood?”
With divine help, we can build the boat and then when the flood waters rise, we can seek to assist those in need rather than waiting to be assisted by our fellow man.

Buzzing in just in time…
Having seen a number of these little guys buzzing around Facebook recently, I decided I needed one for myself. Meet Lil’ Miss Boobee and ornament for the season.
Requests for her pattern followed quickly after she made her debut. So gathering up my courage, I have tried once again to write a pattern. You can download the pdf here Lil Miss Boobee
Unlike the pattern for the little fruit posted the other day, this one is not necessarily basic. It requires a couple new stitches and a bit more careful reading. Nothing too hard, but certainly not nearly as simple as a sphere. Yet, the fun this one brings (especially as people say her name out loud) is worth the extra work.
Happy crocheting!
Saith Me… Ministering to the Needs
Ministering to the needs of others requires an open mind, a loving heart, and unfettered time.
Unlike in the structured world of employment, ministering in not as much about solving problems as it is about providing what is needed.
Identifying a problem is easy; identifying a need is much more complicated. Sometimes the need may be as simple as having someone take the time to listen.
Problems are so much easier to solve after the needs are addressed – after the time, love, and companionship is freely given.
Emoji Fruit Ornaments
I have found that basic patterns are sometimes the hardest to find, especially for free. This can make teaching a skill troublesome when simple and basic are required. Young and old, there are times when a bit more step-by-step help is needed in order to gain success. I know that on my fibro fog days, I require an easy-to-follow pattern, one that can act as a check list to cross off as I go.
Years ago I worked up a few dozen quilting patterns that I could use when I was giving tutorials on basic quilting for beginners. Now I find I am doing the same thing in crochet. So here is my first pattern and I hope a few more will arrive in the next weeks and months.
Emoji Fruit Ornaments pdf download
The pattern has instruction for the fruit, but the bat wings and cat ears can easily be made from craft felt or free form crochet.
I also made a lemon by adding an extra round of single crochet at the beginning and the end to make the ends pointed.
I hope my efforts help others, and that more skilled pattern writers and crochet artisans forgive me for any bobbles and flubs this pattern may contain.
A final note: In case anyone wonders, the white one is a snowball. Not a fruit, but he was lonely all by himself.