Ready for the County Fair

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? James 4:11-12 (NIV)

I have been working my tail off to get ten glass projects finished, mounted and framed so that tomorrow I can enter them in the arts and crafts competition at our county fair. It’s a good thing that I went to the doctor for an illness, and she gave me prednisone. I can’t sleep when I take that medicine so got two kiln loads done yesterday. Of course, I feel like crud today. Anyway, I have five framed pieces, two mobiles, a lidded glass box, a trivet and spoon rest set, and a beaded necklace ready to go. I just hope after all that work, my entries will be accepted. When I filled out the entry form, I saw in fine print that they will not accept items that are fragile. Oh, well. If they don’t think that they can take care of them, I don’t want to leave them there. The one thing I have been worrying about is that something, especially the mobiles might get broken. After all, although I want my friends and family to see my work displayed, I don’t need anyone telling me whether my work is good enough or not. I used to show and train dogs and know that judging in any kind of competition is very subjective. What the judges like one day, they will hate the next. I wish I could get my own instinct to judge under control. I have a new young friend who I adore, but I have a hard time listening to her because there are so many odd things about her body that I want to stare at. She has BRIGHT red hair. Raggedy Ann red hair. She has several piercings including a tiny nose ring, a ring in her lip and a stud in her tongue. She has tattoos all over her body including a picture over her entire back. She wears shirts that show off her tattoos and has an interesting collection of jewelry. So, when I am with her, my eyes are not focused on her eyes, but flit from tattoo to tattoo and watch her rings move when she talks. Ordinarily, I would not befriend someone like her. I would make assumptions based on her appearance. But, life (no, I am convinced it was God) thrust us together, and the more time I spend with her, the more surprised I am at how much we are alike. We have the same beliefs, the same hobbies, the same interests. We like the same music and the same books. It is too weird. As though, I had a twin and we were separated by birth. Actually, by generations. She is a reminder to me that by judging I miss out on meeting some really wonderful people and that I need to open my eyes and look beyond the hair styles and stereotypes. So, while judging has its place at the county fair, it does not belong in my life or yours for that matter!

See below for pictures and descriptions of what I am taking to the fair. Sorry some of them are sideways. Last time I posted to blogger, it fixed them and put them the right way. I don’t know how to make it do it now.