It is very challenging to choose a turning of the week. A quick glance at the forum and you will see many artistic and technical masterpieces. Any number of them would be suitable for this feature. Then there are other pieces with great stories attached that highlight the generosity and thoughtfulness of the turning community. For my decision this week, I am happy to pick William Rogers' Heart Bowl, a nicely turned bowl with an even better message attached. Truth be told, I initially had another piece chosen, but as I did a final look-through this morning I kept coming back to this one and pondering its importance.
The Maple bowl itself seems to be well-turned, and is of a nice size to hold a bunch of candies/treats for a hospital staff. Although they are difficult to see well, there are a number of engraved/dyed hearts along the exterior of the bowl. Of course, the showcase of the piece is the large deep red heart in the bottom of the interior. If it was just a heart, that would be pretty interesting; however, William had the foresight to engrave the signatures and the card text in the heart. No doubt it was something that the staff appreciated.
This reminds me of an experience I had. Not heart-related, and I didn't make a turning, but the sentiment and the response from the hospital staff was similar. My oldest son, Elm, was born a month premature, and had to spend hist first four days in the NICU. My wife and I were new parents, and this was an extremely stressful time. We visited him many times each night, and I remember breaking down in tears on several occasions worrying about his well-being. The NICU staff was absolutely wonderful. In particular, one of the head nurses, Gail, was a saving grace. She was incredibly patient with us, never once acted annoyed or burdened, and always seemed to have the time to thoroughly explain the situation. She was amazing. Her last shift (while we were there) was the night before our son was going to be discharged, so I wrote her a long thank you note (along with a few others) explaining how she kept us grounded, sane, etc... Thanking her for taking such good care of Elm, and a bunch of other things I can't remember now. Even now, I'm tearing up a bit thinking of it. Anyway, as my wife and I were starting to get things ready to go, we heard a knock on our hospital room door--it was Gail! She stopped by to say thank you for the card, and expressed that any time staff receive heartfelt letters, gifts, etc... it makes the stress of the job a bit more manageable. I gave her a huge hug, probably cried a bit, and told her I would never forget her kindness. And I never will.
TL;DR, I know how much the staff will treasure this bowl. William, I'm sure you are one of their favorite patients, and your act of kindness is a very fitting way to say thank you for saving your life. Hand-made gifts are absolutely the best things to treasure, and even more so when they are wonderfully and thoughtfully made. Thank you for making my TOTW decision a bit less challenging than it might have been otherwise. Cheers!
The Maple bowl itself seems to be well-turned, and is of a nice size to hold a bunch of candies/treats for a hospital staff. Although they are difficult to see well, there are a number of engraved/dyed hearts along the exterior of the bowl. Of course, the showcase of the piece is the large deep red heart in the bottom of the interior. If it was just a heart, that would be pretty interesting; however, William had the foresight to engrave the signatures and the card text in the heart. No doubt it was something that the staff appreciated.
This reminds me of an experience I had. Not heart-related, and I didn't make a turning, but the sentiment and the response from the hospital staff was similar. My oldest son, Elm, was born a month premature, and had to spend hist first four days in the NICU. My wife and I were new parents, and this was an extremely stressful time. We visited him many times each night, and I remember breaking down in tears on several occasions worrying about his well-being. The NICU staff was absolutely wonderful. In particular, one of the head nurses, Gail, was a saving grace. She was incredibly patient with us, never once acted annoyed or burdened, and always seemed to have the time to thoroughly explain the situation. She was amazing. Her last shift (while we were there) was the night before our son was going to be discharged, so I wrote her a long thank you note (along with a few others) explaining how she kept us grounded, sane, etc... Thanking her for taking such good care of Elm, and a bunch of other things I can't remember now. Even now, I'm tearing up a bit thinking of it. Anyway, as my wife and I were starting to get things ready to go, we heard a knock on our hospital room door--it was Gail! She stopped by to say thank you for the card, and expressed that any time staff receive heartfelt letters, gifts, etc... it makes the stress of the job a bit more manageable. I gave her a huge hug, probably cried a bit, and told her I would never forget her kindness. And I never will.
TL;DR, I know how much the staff will treasure this bowl. William, I'm sure you are one of their favorite patients, and your act of kindness is a very fitting way to say thank you for saving your life. Hand-made gifts are absolutely the best things to treasure, and even more so when they are wonderfully and thoughtfully made. Thank you for making my TOTW decision a bit less challenging than it might have been otherwise. Cheers!
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