Weave and Sew Dust

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I needed a coffee break from my weaving and sewing and I am glad for your company and conversation. Thanks for taking the time to read and share my postings.

Christmas Eve 2009--My Christmas letter

Thought I would enter the 21st century and print my Christmas thoughts here instead of my usual insert in my Christmas cards. I hope that this year was a good one for you and, if 2009 held mostly bitters (the disappointments of life), I hope you will have a blessing-filled year in 2010.

We were given the gift of a brand new granddaughter named Lila, and the card players among you will know that she "aced" any of our bitters. She's six months young now and has big blue eyes and chubby cheeks and thighs. I can't wait to see her (and her mommy and daddy) again in January when our Oregon clan joins us to attend a family wedding in Tennessee.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the joy of our two other bright points of light in our lives. Kayla is making straight A's and has a busy cheerleading schedule and Christopher got his first experience of sledding--in the snow banks of his home at the beginning of 2009 and in the leaves at our place this past Autumn. Leaf sledding is a tradition in our family (an invention that came about in the years without any snow). Our hills and tons of leaves make for some great fun!

Chris and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary by starting a new garden. This required Chris to clear the "North 40." He went on to clear all the underbrush on most of our property, repair walls and steps and, in September, transplant azaleas from one side of the house to the other. We were so happy with the results that when the weather turned chilly, we turned our attention to interior painting. In the eleven years that I have been taking care of my mother, working on my masters, volunteering with Habitat, and working part-time, I simply didn't have the energy to think about colors. One day this past year, I looked around and every room had become a different shade of beige! I am happy to report that my home is emerging from this dismal cocoon and is bursting with butterfly colors.

When considering ebb and flow, all the above have been the flow in 2009 for us.

The ebb has been a tough financial picture as real estate is still taking a hit and banks refuse to loan money to the contractors with whom Chris and I work (a nationwide trend). One of the contractors declared bankruptcy and others are in deep debt. We are hanging on by our proverbial fingernails.

A more important ebb is my mother's health. She had a fall in mid-October that sent her to the hospital and she has been in a slow decline ever since. No broken bones but she did develop pneumonia and a urinary infection. She has no desire to walk. This is very strange to witness especially for those who know my mother. When she was young, she used to run in stiletto heels to catch the subway in New York. She is now in a nursing facility which carry a different set of stresses for me.

One of my ongoing joys is being able to lead Bible studies at my church. The latest was on the courageous women of the Bible. It's amazing to see women as pivotal to the story of salvational history.

So here I sit, along with you, on the eve of the event that changed the course of history and I find myself challenged, like biblical Queen Esther and the Blessed Mother, by the question, "Who knows but that it was for a time like this that you obtained the royal dignity?" How will I respond to the challenges and choices of 2010? How will you respond? I hope that the response is born out of love, secured by faith, and met with joy. Merry Christmas everyone and many blessings!

  

Beware the Christmas Thief

We live at a time when many families, including my own, are suffering financial hardship. It would be easy to put off the joy of the meaning that this great celebration brings when one centers the holiday exclusively around material gifts. Who doesn't want to provide for their loved ones?

I think I have watched every version of "Scrooge" and the first thing the main character does upon waking up to his/her miserly existence is to bestow abundant material gifts upon those he/she loves. Retailers must love this part of the storyline, after all, who wants to be or be considered a miser?

I think when Scrooge asks the question, "How can they be so happy when they have so little?", he/she is really witnessing to the fact that Christmas is a whole lot more than is visible to the eye.

For in the story, the family that lacks material gain has discovered a larger truth. Christmas is the birth of the gift of self to others. Christians not only mark the birth of the One who showed us what this looks like but we realize that we can give birth to that Spirit within our individual being.

Still, the Christmas thief lurks, telling us it's all about the tangible gifts.

The funny thing about this theft is that it is an inside job.--Nonna's knowings

For Goodness Sake

God created all things good.

What a wonderful statement to meditate upon! Ancient wisdom saw, in these words, that to err is to miss the mark, to fail to recognize this inherent goodness. To not respect another's goodness is to fail to see your own goodness.

Joan Chittister writes some probing thoughts in her book, The Liturgical Year, "Advent asks the question, what is it for which you are spending your life? What is the star you are following now? And where is that star in its present radiance in your life leading you? Is it a place that is really comprehensive enough to equal the breadth of the human soul?'"

 

Let us begin by recognizing the gift of our own and each other's goodness.--Musings of an anam cara 

Advent of the King of Kings

We wait. Waiting is not popular these days. I wonder if it has ever been popular. The ancient Hebrews were so impatient for a king that they asked the old judge Samuel to appoint one so that they could be like other nations. Kings are "passe' " in a democratic society, so what does this waiting period mean for us today? Who or what are we looking to reign in our lives? Why would someone give up their freedom to be ruled by anyone, Divine or not divine?

For me, to accept the Kingship of God in my life is true freedom to be as I am created to be. This is the message the Prince of Peace brings with his birth two thousand years ago and his re-birth within my heart today. The One who loves beyond all measure, loves me as I am. Who would not wait for such a King?--musings of an anam cara.

The Babies are Coming

Loved this trailer and had to share, especially in this Advent season when we celebrate the birth of one special child. . .for all the Moms and Grandmoms out there, enjoy! Dads and Granddads, too!

'Tis the Season. . .

. . .to be jolly, so the lyrics go.

I'm conflicted.

There is so much pain in the world now--wars, drought, starvation, foreclosures, job losses, the devastating results caused by those who are too greedy, loss of life savings, homelessness, mass murders, children used and abused, fear of pandemics. . . broadcast news magnifies the negativity. I rarely watch anymore.

I believe in a different kind of news--the Good News (aka "the Gospels"). This news tells me that in the beginning, God created all things good and that this goodness is inherent in each and every human being. Personally, I am witness to this interior goodness filled with peace and love that the world would have us believe is lost to us. I tend to the formula that goodness = wholeness = holiness.

Yes, 'Tis the season to be jolly. . .and to be holy. . .because goodness abounds amidst the ruins.       --musings of an anam cara

Angels sighted

My mom is spending her last days at the Blue Ridge Health Care Center having been moved from the rehab section to the nursing wing. It's amazing, there are angels everywhere in this facility.

I see them in the smiling faces of the staff who work amidst much suffering on a daily basis and, of course, the Hospice team that acts as extra eyes for Mom's interests. BUT, the most surprising of all are the angels I see in the solicitous words and faces of the three different women who have been my mother's "roommates" and who have plenty of suffering of their own.

The first was a sixty year-old African-American woman who is recovering from viral encephalitis and also has lung cancer. Mahalia would let me know if Mom was left too long in a wheelchair and how much food she had eaten. The next was a ninety year-old feisty Southern woman (who didn't want any company until she had her hair done). Ellen had broken her femur in a fall--the bane of the elderly. She told me that my Mom was singing beautifully one night and wondered if Mom had sung professionally (I really think it must have been a program on Mom's TV because the speaker is on the bed). Maybe, it was an angel singing to them both. Mom's current roommate is another African-American woman who is having difficulty swallowing and had aspirated some food into her lungs. Gloria has big soul-filled eyes that do her talking. One of her sweet daughters told me that when she visits her mother, she also checks to see that my mom is okay.

I do believe I have seen a huge angel population!

Wisdom begins in wonder--Socrates

I came across this quote when browsing through the latest Christmas catalogue to arrive in the mail. It was featured on a 7 1/2"  X 4 1/2" plaque that could be purchased for a mere $50! It reminded me of the biblical thought,  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" that is stated in Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10. Because "fear," as mentioned in the scripture, has also the sense of awe (of the Lord) that is found in the term, wonder, I began to think about which quote came first. It turns out that Psalms can be dated from before 587 BCE to after 539 BCE but not as late as 165 BCE. Socrates lived from 469 BCE to 399 BCE, so my bet would be that the biblical quote is the original. Socrates believed in a supreme intelligent being and may have been influencing young Athenian men to reject state gods. His quote really would appeal to those just discovering a spiritual life. It encourages one to view the universe with wide-eyed awe, be curious, ask questions. . .

AND. . . be wise enough to realize that you needn't spend $50 to enjoy the meaning of the quote! --Nonna's knowings

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On Being Creative with Obituaries

The other night I invited a girlfriend over to help me write my mom's obituary. Mom has not passed yet but I figured that this is just one more step in her advanced planning. I had several obituaries to use to model hers. I find obituaries to be almost clinical--name, date of death, preceded by (a short list), survived by (a long list), accomplishments,and funeral information. Not much fun, but then death is such a somber topic. But it shouldn't be for those of us who believe in eternal life. So I am really try to think of words that, in her little moment of published fame, will celebrate who she is. It's a work in progress. Suggestions?

Tis the Season for Leaf Sledding

My six-year old grandson came for a sleepover this past weekend. He tends to put things into the proper priorities with our function to have fun with him as number one. This is a blessed relief for me as I make my daily visits to the rehab center to check on my mother.

Leaves have been raining steadily for the last two weeks and we now have a sufficient depth of dry, crunchy leaves for a good sled ride down our hills. We had been telling our little one about how his daddy and his aunt used to have great fun every Autumn leaf sledding, so he was really pumped to give it a try. The first time he did it, he looked up and said, "Did I scream like a girl?" He then proceeded to tell us how girls scream. Needless to say, sans screaming, he caught on pretty quick and was soon launching himself unaided by Papa Q. Such joyous abandon!

Whenever life gets you down, visualize leaf sledding through the eyes of a six-year old.--Nonna's knowings