why rhubarb marmalade?

i'm still here. i've had a nice break from 'creative blogging.' and during that time i kept thinking, "why rhubarb marmalade?" my family blog (and reading the hundred blogs i subscribe to) takes plenty of time already, so why this too? and i kept going back to the name of this blog and where it came from which is why i plan to keep it up as best i can. so why rhubarb marmalade? i was first introduced to rhubarb marmalade when i was about 10. each summer i would go to visit my grandparents all by myself for a week. i always felt so privileged to get to spend time alone with my grandparents when i was one of at least 25 grandchildren. looking back, i realized those weeks shaped a lot of who i am and taught me to really be proud of that. during those weeks my grandma and i made a point of doing crafts. one year she taught me to crochet. one year she taught me to embroider tea towels. one year we made a quilt out of her old running t-shirts. every year we went thrift store shopping and every year we made rhubarb marmalade with rhubarb from my dad's garden. we made more batches than we could count. the stove was always going. and in doing so we came up with our own recipe for the best rhubarb marmalade ever. this didn't happen every year of my life, but the visits happened enough to leave an impression on me. i learned that a love of crafting isn't about the tangible good you get out of it, but the process and joy of creating. i learned so many valuable skills but more importantly i learned that in sharing what we love we learn to really love those with whom we share.