Our Display at the CraftFest

I wish I could say that the morning of the CraftFest dawned clear and bright. But it started raining at 6:15 a.m. and then it started thundering and then it started pouring.

Every August, my sister and I (with help!) put up the big white tent and for two days, sell everything under the sun I’ve made in the past year. Every mid-August, we pray for fine weather and hold our breath. This year the rain stopped around 7:00, giving us just enough time to unload the tent, tables, shutters, windowless frame, old ironing board, display foof and flounce and fluff…plus Story Pictures, rag & bone books, pots of words, gift tags, and other sundry things.

It was wet, steamy, mucky, and difficult. Since we’d never had to put the sides on the tent before, we tried to make ourselves a foot taller to reach the infuriating loops at the top, all the while swearing silently that this was the last year we would ever subject ourselves to this physical and emotional duress when we could be home sleeping or sipping a good cup of coffee and studying French.

But when the rain came again, as if on a camping trip, we were ready in our little store. Instead of cots and gear, we were all smooshed in with our merchandise, displays, cash box, storage bins, shopping bags, and lunch boxes.

The intrepid souls that were out that day sloshed into our tent, smiled at us, told us their stories, bought Story Pictures and books, and never mentioned the weather. Among them were two sisters, Vivian and Celeste, ages 13 and 11 respectively, who dropped in several times during that wet, dreary day and shyly hung around flipping through blank books and reading Story Pictures.

I wondered why they kept coming back and sensed there was something about the work, the display, us…something that intrigued them, drew them in. So I finally suggested that each choose a Story Picture that spoke to her and please accept them as a gift from two sisters to two sisters. They seemed to bloom on the spot.

It was a sweet moment, but there were many sweet moments that day under the thick, gray clouds. Stories and more stories, some sad, some funny, and always, kind words. The next day the rain blew out to sea and the day cleared. We took down the wet sides of the tent and let the fresh air blow through and rearranged things and looked up mid-morning to find Vivian and Celeste, all smiles.

They handed us a brown bag and in it were two delightful books each had made expressing her thanks. It turns out they both love to write. It turns out they both love books. It turns out that it’s important to try and live your best life…even when you’re a little sodden and blue…because you never know when someone is looking, taking notes, and maybe even following in your very footsteps…forward.