Two parts boredom and one part hope that someday soon we’ll be moving, had Tony and I cleaning out our room last weekend. And I mean, deep clean. We emptied out our closet, drawers, and my bookcase. But the treasure we found, was a lot closer to the surface. 

As I am terribly allergic to dust, Tony dismantled the small mountain of stuff on my dresser and dusted everything. Then I came in, wearing my COVID mask, to sort things out. But just as he was finishing, he held up a small piece of hemmed fabric that I’ve had on my dresser, under my small jewelry box, for as long as I can remember. 

“Um, are you keeping this?” Tony asked.

“Yes,” I replied, because obviously.

“Then you might want to wash it.” 

The ornate upholstery fabric was covered in dust, as it had been a while since the last time I had given my dresser a proper cleaning. I grabbed some laundry detergent and began washing it in the sink and as I did, it slowed me down just enough to remember the person who had made it for me:

My Aunt Mae

Now, as beautiful as the fabric still is, it is definitely the memory of my Aunt Mae that makes it special. If you can follow this, Aunt Mae was my dad’s mother’s sister. And as my dad’s mom died long before I was born, Aunt Mae treated me and my sisters as if we were her own grandchildren. 

Aunt Mae treated me and my sisters as if we were her own grandchildren.

One time, when we were growing up, my dad called her to see if we could come and visit that day. By the time we got there, every surface of her kitchen was covered in baked goods. She had made Irish Bread, chocolate chip cookies, and an apple cake that weighed a ton but melted in your mouth. 

Aunt Mae oozed love. Every time we saw her, she always had a gift for us. A very creative person, she was constantly making homemade Christmas ornaments or sewing something beautiful. She’d get gorgeous fabrics and make them into stunning table runners, draw string bags, or—for little girls like us—kid-sized aprons lined with lace. Only, she didn’t just make these beautiful things for her family. 

Long before there was Etsy, there were craft fairs. For months each year, Aunt Mae would sew, storing her creations in big plastic bins. Then, with the help of her family, she’d take them to craft fairs to sell them. 

As I was young at the time, I don’t remember all she did. But I do remember, one year, she sold a large collection of her draw string bags, and then gave all the proceeds to a church. She had done so much good for them that she was featured in the local paper. Only, here is another important part of her story: 

As was common for her generation, Aunt Mae didn’t have her license. 

She was at home often. The church she donated money to, broadcasted their Mass on television for people in her area who couldn’t leave their homes. The Mass on TV meant a lot to her and to others like her. So she used her incredible creative gifts to help support it. 

From her home, Aunt Mae loved both her family and her community well. Last weekend, as I rung out the small square of fabric—a remnant of the few creations of hers I still have—I couldn’t help but wonder if we need Aunt Mae’s example now more than ever. 

All our lives we’ve been told success is “out there” in the “real world.” But what if success is making the most of where we are?

So many of us feel limited by our current circumstances. We’re getting tired of all this time at home. And, unless we sew and have been making masks like crazy, we may be feeling useless to make a difference. But the point of Aunt Mae’s story is not that we all should be sewing. The point is we all have gifts and abilities that we can use to make an impact in our world, right where we are, from our homes.

All our lives we’ve been told success is “out there” in the “real world.” But what if success is making the most of where we are? What if the small things you’re doing right now are making a bigger difference for your family than you realize? What if your most important work is yet to be discovered?

What does loving your family well right now look like?

What can you do from your home to love your community well?

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Photo by Volha Flaxeco on Unsplash