We all have that friend or family member who at some point is totally in their element, a place that transcends them into a zoned-out mental state discussing some topic that you find mildly interesting. You Can ask him/her a question about computers, dinosaurs, woodworking, or cooking and the next thing you know you’re immersed in their world, listening to a conversation exploding with details you never expected.

You may be at the zoo with another family and one of their children knows more than you ever wanted to know about the sloth; or at a boat show and you ask the salesman about outboard motors at which point you find no way to escape; or even at a music concert and the person next to you has a shirt with stick pins from every tour the band has ever played.

My friends know I can hit that mental state pretty easily, just ask me a question about home automation, genealogy or photography and off I go. I’ll tell you all about how our house runs with or without us present; what software works best for tracking your family tree; or the way to use the features on your phone for better photo shots.

This past weekend in Paducah Kentucky, home of the National Quilt Museum and location of the American Quilters Society annual quilt show, I was with one of those people and to say the least, Suzanne was in her element. Walking through the quilt show it was amazing to watch how she could evaluate each entry in such detail. She would share with me what she liked and disliked about each quilt, the subject matter, the choice of colors, and how it was quilted. Sometimes commenting “They had way too much time on their hands” or “Why did they bother” or “That’s one I could see on my bed” or “That one is remarkable”.

The smallest detail didn’t escape her eye, her admiration for the workmanship and her humbleness that she could never be that good. For hours, I was immersed in her world. Some entries got just a glance and others that she took her time admiring. It was entertaining.

I think the highlight for her (and me) was the number of people who commented on the jacket she wore as seen in the featured photo above. “You should have entered that in this show” one lady commented as person after person shared their admiration of her coat. She would explain that “it was just an old quilt top someone gave me that I quilted, cut up, and made into this jacket”. She made it sound so simple.

Sometimes we just need that little nudge to make us know we belong within our chosen element, how we use that moment is an indication of the respect we show others.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10