From Turmoil in Turkey, A Crafter Shares A Bit of Her Heart

The peach-colored slip from the US Postal Service told me a registered package was waiting for me. Yesterday, I picked it up, an international package from a woman I've never met named Nilufer Turk. She lives in Ankara, Turkey, right now the site of violence and heartache. I opened the package and this is what was inside; a muslin bag wrapped in twine with a felt heart and a label that said: "Wild Poppy Fields" with this blog address.

 Then, I unwrapped the bag and this is what I discovered.

The photo doesn't do it justice. It's an iPad case handmade with applique of a calico tree and leaves. The lining is calico, too. Inexplicably, the bag came with what I consider a book mark, made in felt, of a home. You can see that on the right.

Nilufer Turk is not receiving any kind of commission for my writing this post. And neither am I. But I wanted to share this iPad case I ordered, and until-recently delightful blog and the woman I stumbled into on my travels through cyberspace. It turns out, I am the first overseas order that Nilufer has made. She was worried my package would not arrive at all, and she emailed me a couple of times to inquire about it.

Here is how Nilufer describes her transformation from a career woman to an empty nester who crafts in a basement studio.

I have loved crafting since I was a kid. I would do something every time I had a chance to do so. But with years of educating, working, raising up a child I wasn't able to craft as much as I wanted to. I left my job in the finance sector 10 years ago and started up my own business in the Self development area. I was a partner self development center for years but unfortunately had to close it recently. Now, my son is 18 and has moved to İstanbul for his university education as a mechanical engineer . At first it was hard for me to accept his absence in our house but as always time is a brilliant remedy and I got used to the idea of him growing up and opening up his wings and I am thankful for this.

In these days her country is in turmoil. The capital, her home, is filled with thousands of anti-government protesters, and police with tear gas and riot gear. Nilufer writes she cannot sleep. Turkish television is not reporting on the turmoil, but because she speaks English, she can follow the news on international stations. Nilufer's heart is heavy with grief about the violence police are doing to innocent youth. Her blog page is filled with pictures of rioters.

When we want to wage peace, we can start with ourselves, in the home we nurture for ourselves and our beloveds. I am praying for Nilufer, whose name means "water lily" in Turkish. I pray she keeps crafting and keeps making bits of beauty, that she keeps sharing her soul with the rest of us.

“Blessed are the pure of heart, they shall see the face of God” (Mt 5:8).