The title is from 1 Corinthians 10:23.   Because I have many friends who are unbelievers and not wanting to insult them or cause them to trip, I am careful about what I quote from the Bible.  Also, I take the Scripture about not being a hypocrite from Matthew 6:5 seriously.  People who preach a certain way of life better live it impeccably, because no sooner will the words be out of your mouth, you will be tripped up.

Case in point; years ago I had a dye workshop at my house.  In my kitchen, sitting around my center island, were six women, both old and new friends.  At the kitchen table were six more women, all relative strangers, learning to knit some technique.  There was a living room full of women learning to weave tapestry. On my back porch was a spinning workshop.

The first thing that happened is that my phone rang and my husband didn’t pick it up, so it went to the answering machine.  It was Verizon calling about our bill not being paid. That was a lovely moment. I moved like a gazelle to pick up and quickly whispering, apologized and said it would be paid right away.  There didn’t seem to be much point in trying to explain that one away.

The next thing I did was to turn the oven on to heat up; I was serving Stoffer’s Lasagna for lunch.  In the middle of my lecture, I smelled meat burning.  I ran to the oven and opened the door, only to discover that there was a dirty broiling pan in there with steak fat smoking away, left from dinner four days before.  Any vestige of pride I had was totally decimated.  What the hell?

God had my attention.  What lesson did He want me to learn, besides paying my bills on time and being a better housekeeper?  I think He wanted to make sure I stayed humble.

I am having some successes right now.  My book, Pam of Babylon will be out in July.  Having chosen to self-publish at the urging of family and friends who have gone that route, it is a time consuming, headache producing process. But the outcome is that so far, the response from the few people who have read it, including my editor, has been overwhelmingly positive.

In the same breath, I am finally getting a small amount of respect for the work I am doing in my studio. This has been hard won.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have had someone come in and start talking about how wonderful another fiber artist’s work is while they were looking at  mine.  That isn’t good for business, people!!!  Really, that kind of disrespect is almost enough to make someone give up.  It also explains why many studios and fiber stores have large signs which say “No Solicitation!”  Phew! That felt good.

So what’s my point?  My books don’t set out to heal the world, or teach anything. They are simply interesting stories.  So far, the two that are finished are adult themed.  If stories of sin bother you, don’t buy my books.  They are full of it.  However, although Pam of Babylon may not change the world, I am told that it is entertaining and thought provoking.

Today I feel a little like I have been exposed, that my smoky oven and unpaid phone bill have returned to haunt me.  I outed myself and posted on Facebook that I am a writer.  Most of my friends didn’t know that about me.  That sort of exposure makes one vulnerable to criticism and to judgment.  But I guess if I want to risk those things, I might find some more satisfaction in what I am doing with my life.  I might even make a little money so I can pay those bills.