Granny Would Be Proud

9 01 2008

quilt piecesquilt piecesquilt piecesquilt piecesquilt piecesquilt pieces

Actually, proud is not a word that I would associate with Granny.  She was an opinionated, no-nonsense kind of woman.  However, I couldn’t help but think of her as I was at my first quilting class on Monday night.  As so many women of her generation, Granny made many quilts to keep her family warm.  It was a skill passed on from woman to woman, generation to generation.  The women of the church would gather at someone’s house to do the actual quilting.  Usually, as I understand it, it was only the piecing that one was responsible for on her own.  A woman could always depend on her friends and neighbors to help her finish the project.  Sometimes I wish time had not changed and we had not become so private and self-sufficient.  One thing I realize as I read and learn about times past is that people depended upon each other.  Whether in making a quilt or living a life, they all needed help from time to time, and so do we.

About the photo above:  I was blessed when a lady at my church who is very skilled at quilting and has studied its history and its form as an art invited me to join a class she is teaching in her home.  Monday night we learned a little bit about the history of quilting and got started.  I finished three squares for my string quilt, as she called it.  Sure, the fabrics are a little wild and mismatched, but I understand that this is the way quilts are made.  I can’t wait for another class, to hear the soothing whir of the sewing machines (no, we are not hand-stitching our squares) and the comfort of our gentle conversation.

Thank you, Lord, for this blessing.  





Daily Scripture Share

9 01 2008

Bible and Roses

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such there is no law.    Galatians 5:22 NIV

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.    John 15:4 NIV

The Lord impressed upon me a month or so ago the importance of meditation to quiet my spirit and help me to get a handle on myself and my day.  While true meditation is not something that comes easily for even someone who is naturally introspective, I am making a concerted effort to do this.  The first verse listed here is the one I first felt impressed to meditate upon.  Those sound like lofty goals, don’t they?     Patience?  Gentleness?  Self-control?  I’m sorry, but I don’t always have the resources to practice those virtues.  I am so thankful that this is where the John verse comes in.  God does not expect us to manufacture these things on our own.  Hallelujah!  He only expects us to abide in Him, and the rest will follow.  All we must do is abide in the Vine.  Thank you, Lord.