Celebrating

Celebrating is a good thing. We’re quickly coming up on the Season of Advent, which can be practiced as a “little Lent”, with sacrifices, preparing our hearts for making room for Jesus. We take this journey with Mary and Joseph who must travel to Bethlehem while she’s in that last month of pregnancy. In this time with public transportation, cars at the ready I can’t even begin to imagine how rough the trip had to be, then finding a place to birth this kid, while she’s in labor.

In the last few weeks something has shifted in such a beautiful way. Last Saturday I started piecing a quilt, I’m a quilter this should come as no surprise, right? Well it was to me, as it’s been forever since piecing a huge quilt, and by huge I mean 108″ square. This will eventually live on our bed.

It all started when looking for something and happened upon two charm packs from a couple of favored designers, as the looking continued another charm pack turned up by my absolutely favorite designer ever. Then I started looking through my stash, and well let’s just say the whole quilt top simply came together.

As I’ve worked this week there has been a sense of renewal, a deep sense of joy. This time in the completing the quilt top, on my birthday. This sense of renewal has been coming for a little while, with sneak peeks here and there over the last several months. As the reflection on all of this happens there is a rhythm to quilting and to life, instead of being a circle, it’s more of a spiral. As we age, change, mature and grow the down cycles are as challenging as ever, however accepting them has changed, turning them over to God, and being grateful for the challenging moments has changed. Quilting, this one gift from God with so many facets, has taught me so much about being flexible, to develop a willingness to use the seam ripper (go to confession) and make changes as needed. I hope that extending grace to others, and to myself. And though difficult, willing to let others go as needed.

The joy of the Lord
is my strength

Quilts will often tell you that something isn’t working, trying to fight it is like pulling teeth without Novocain. Life does too, some of the changes over the last several years have been rather painful, and necessary. I’m grateful for the opportunities to listen to the quilts, and to go with the flow of life.

Worry about nothing,
pray about everything,
and the
Peace of God
will knock your socks off. 

I’m so grateful and celebrating the gift of my Sweetie, and my quilting friends who are supportive, and encouraging through this journey, this journey of Life.

There is so much to celebrate in this moment, including a quilt top to quilt.

God bless,

Teri