It’s happened often enough that I miss it that when I’m quilting I lose all sense of what’s around me, focusing in on what I’m doing, what’s happening under the needle that there is such a freedom and quiet in my head, it’s sublimely sweet. I’ve been in that space in prayer once that I can recall, it was beautiful and restful.
In years past during Lent the blog posts are much more frequent as the words flow, not quite easily, but still flow. In the drafts folder there are two posts started that sit there, not quite ready for publication. Not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because there’s a sense of rest, and not yet, and wait. With all the words that swirl around my head, not unlike the stitching that forms under the needle of my machine, it is hard when the words start coming, then simply stop flowing from the brain to the hands. It’s a weird place for sure.
Like so much in the last few years this Lent is about flipping the script; changing the understanding of so so much. The first change began with the understanding of the practices of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving, while each are sacrifices in and of themselves, the deepening understanding is these are avenues of healing. Prayer heals our relationship with God; fasting heals our relationship with ourselves; and almsgiving both physical and spiritual, heal our relationships with others. This is a new-to-me understanding and one that I hope to carry forward to the next Lent, and the next and the one after that. To make the effort to restore the relationship is a good effort indeed, one that affirms and confirms that God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – wants to be in relationship with me (us) and that it is life changing.
As this Lent progressed in reading Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation by Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT and praying the Lent challenge on the Hallow app, and as I’ve dug into prayer, writing in my journal and going to Confession and Spiritual Direction so much has some to the surface to take a new look at, to put down, to forgive others and myself, to restore relationship. As I sit here it’s challenging to put into words as there is a sense that all of this is still a work in progress, the fruit of this work will come later. I continue to go back to the root combing analogy my friend offered one morning. When transplanting a plant that is root bound, gently combing the roots, some of the roots will slough off naturally, some will because they aren’t healthy, some will to give stronger roots the opportunity to draw nutrients from the new soil. This Lent feels much like that gentle root combing, being newly repotted the roots need time to acclimate to the new pot and begin bearing fruit.
I’ve said to a couple of people recently that I’ve felt like my own personal quilting is taking a bit of a direction change and I don’t have any idea yet where it’s going. In the meantime I’m priming the pump with some other quilting.
Before I go make breakfast, quilt for a bit and head out to celebrate Palm Sunday I share with you these two homilies:
How has the Lord worked on your heart and mind this Lent?
God bless,
Teri
A Quilter's Heart 