Laurel Vigil

This is going to be a hard post for me. At East Kingdom 12th night I was elevated to the Order of the Laurel, the highest Arts and Sciences award in the SCA. I do not especially feel like I was ready for this, but one does not argue with the royalty. Apparently, the other members of the order thought I was ready. This makes me wonder if I am going to expect too much from other people. I feel almost as if the bar is too low if I made it in with the level of work I was doing. I was just getting to the point where I could make the accessories that are so important in the clothing I want to specialize in. I have been learning what kinds of embroidery and lace is appropriate for the time and nationalities I am interested in. Only now could I start the projects that I was hoping would start my journey towards the laurel. I feel somewhat let down. I feel like the wind has been taken out of my sails. I have not slowed down at all in the plans and work I have been doing. After all, I wanted to make the lace and embroidery and clothing because I like it, not because it was the way to get to the laurel. It just seems like what I was viewing as a treat sometime in the future has been spent. I guess I really never wanted to actually get there: just keep trying. Now what?

Anyway, the ceremony itself was magnificent. The amount of work and effort that my friends put into it was awe inspiring. I can never thank the people involved enough. God, I hope I remembered to thank them at all. My mantle was worked on by 22 different people in my Barony. Twenty-four people traveled for 4 hours just to be there with me, and that was only the number of people in the barony. There were many other people who also came. I did not cry during the ceremony, but I am getting misty now thinking about it. The memories are kind of sporatic. I can remember some things so well, and others not at all. There were so many gifts and well wishes and hugs it was just great. My heart swells just hinking about it.

I cannot thank everyone enough for this honor.