Maria has had a difficult time since returning from India. We both were surprised by her emotional and physical exhaustion, a heightened sense of vulnerability and anxiety. This weekend, she has been returning to herself, fun, feisty, teasing, intensely creative.

It has been difficult for her, and it has made me question whether I should go with her to India when she returns. I fear both of us being wrecked at the same time.

But we are different and we will have to wait and see. Maria had never taken a trip like that before, and it strained and challenged and stretched her. She did a lot of things she has never done before and saw a lot of things she had never seen before. She had many fears to overcome.

It is perfectly natural to be unsettled for awhile.

I am pleased to see she is coming out of it, she is strong and tough and determined, she has been there before, she knows what to do. She can take care of herself, something that was reinforced on her journey.

Maria is thrilled with this new quilt she made, it somehow marks her return. She calls it the Quiet And Gentle quilt, and I see what she means (notice the camel, bear and tiger she stitched into the middle).

I think it’s going on sale today for $425 plus shipping, but you can check her blog for the details. To me the quilt, so interesting and diverse – and so gentle – marks her return. She can laugh again, and she can laugh at me again, which she dearly loves to do. It is wonderful to have her back.

The India trip was rough, she will be processing it for a long time, as so many of you predicted. But for Maria, art and life are the same thing, and she processes one by processing the other. Welcome  to the Gentle and Quiet quilt.