Feeling the Vibes

Did you survive 11-11-11?  Apparently, it was supposed to be quite an auspicious date.  Of course, most of us were probably aware that it was Veterans Day here in the States.  That happens every 11-11, whether it is 2011 or not.   I did a little digging though, and discovered some of the other "buzz" around the date.

The date happens only once every 100 years.  Chances are that you won't experience another 11-11-11 unless health care REALLY improves between now and 2111.  Quite a few cultures and groups considered the date to be very lucky.  The Hindus think it is quite lucky since the number "1" symbolizes the sun.  I guess because the sun is considered "life-giving", then you can pack a lot of life in 11-11-11.

Speaking of packing life in the date, apparently obstetricians were gearing up for a very long day.  Many expectant mothers were scheduling Caesarians for the 11th.  One doctor even offered to refund his fees for any baby that he delivered that day.  I believe I read that he was going to hold the funds in trust for the kids until their 21st birthdays, though, so let's hope he is still around then.

Lots of folks were getting married yesterday.  The date is considered a great one for new beginnings.  I suspect one ulterior motive might have been that it is a hard date to forget, making it less likely that you'd forget your anniversary.

Quite a few folks of a more "pagan" slant were expecting a bunch of mystical creatures known as the "Spirit Guardians" to show up around mid-morning yesterday.  These creatures supposedly watch over us mortals. They also supposedly prompt you to look at the clock at 11:11 as a way to get your attention throughout the year and do things like make streetlights go off when you go by.  This is supposed to let you know that something big is coming.  I'm not sure why they were supposed to actually show up yesterday.  Maybe it was to whack us on the back of the head, like Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, for those of us a little slow on the uptake.

I read one 11-11-11 website that was predicting three possible scenerios:
Something good was going to happen, something bad was going to happen, or nothing was going to happen.  Gee, I think that about covers it all, don't you?

I read that Egypt closed the pyramids to tourists yesterday so that no weird groups would show up and perform pagan sacrifices on them.  All I can say is, "Thank God!"

So did you have any unusual experiences yesterday?  See any Spirit Guardians?  I didn't notice any over here but I DID get an "aura" mid-morning.  I suppose it could have been related to the date, but I'm more prone to think it was the usual visual manifestation of the migraines that I'm prone to having.  For the rest of you who had "nothing", hang in there.  It's less than 200 years now until your next chance to feel the vibe.

Quilted Prayer Shawls

Well, the quilted prayer shawl is finished and has been given to it's intended recipient.  Several of you have asked what a quilted prayer shawl is so I thought I might try to explain here.  You might be familiar with prayer shawls in general and these follow along the same concept.  In case you're not, a typical prayer shawl is knitted or crocheted.  While the person is making the shawl, they are praying for the person who is to get the shawl.  They aren't necessarily praying non-stop for that person the entire time they are making the shawl but they are thinking of them and sending up prayers on their behalf.  Then, when the prayer shawl is given to the recipient, it is to serve as a tangible reminder of the prayers that are being lifted up for that person and hopefully, they will feel hugged and loved each time they wrap that shawl around themselves.

Quilted prayer shawls are a newer phenomenon.  These are small quilts designed to be wrapped around the person like a stole.  Basically, as the quilter is piecing the quilt together and doing the quilting, they are also praying for the person and so the concept is very similar to the prayer shawls.  It's a way for people who don't knit or crochet but DO sew to also be part of this caring ministry.  I happen to knit, crochet, AND sew but I just wanted to try my hand at making a quilted prayer shawl and that's why I chose this form.

I kind of made the pattern up as I went along.  I had a general idea of the proportions I was aiming for and knew that this would equate to a 2-block-wide long rectangular quilted piece.  I wanted to have several blocks that would encompass Christian symbols and thus my pieced cross.

I added several heart blocks.  In this block I freeform machine quilted dragonflies around the heart.

This heart had a simple stipple pattern of quilting around the heart.

The rest of the quilt were simple fabric squares that I used to machine quilt freehand phrases such as this square where I put the words "Be comforted."  (I made this quilt shawl for a young mother whose baby passed away)

 This one says "Peace to you."

I quilted a block with little suns  and some with Bible verse citations. The quilt sashing was just freeform stipple quilted.

This is how the back looks.

And there you have the final quilted prayer shawl.

Project 365 - June 13, 2010 (Day 17)

A closeup of the back of the quilted prayer shawl.

A Project Begun is Half Done

Are you having a good Memorial Day weekend?  I had high hopes to accomplish quite a bit this weekend but I must confess that I started several things but haven't made a lot of progress on anything.  Perhaps one good reason for that is Fresca the Wonder Dog.  You can see what she does to me, can't you?  How can I resist that pleading little face?  She is always following me around the house, trying to distract me from the task at hand.

She's also good at waking us up early.  At 6 a.m. she was outside our bedroom door whining.  I finally gave up and got up so there I was at 6:30 am., making broccoli salad while Miss Fresca cavorted around by my feet.  Yawn!  I wasn't the only one up early as I noticed our neighbor sitting out on his sunporch.  He must like to commune with nature early in the morning.  He was looking away from our house and that's why I know that he isn't inclined to commune with our weeds.

I had high hopes to cut out the prayer quilt this morning but things just weren't coming together.  I was second-guessing my fabric choices and choice of pattern.  So I was pouring over my quilt books but you know how that goes.....then you can't find the fabric in your stash that will go with the patterns that look promising.  Finally I told the Commander to just go ahead and fire up the grill because we might as well have an early supper.  I wasn't getting anything else done.

I found the "Burgermeister" sitting down on the job when I went out to check on him a half hour later but the hamburgers eventually were cooked and we had a simple but nice Memorial Day meal.  I think we might be heading over to Rita's Italian Ice to top off the meal with a little dessert later in the day.
Back to my prayer quilt story.

While we were eating (why is it that I always get good ideas when there is food involved?) I got an idea in my mind of a quilted prayer shawl design.  After I'd done the dishes, I went back upstairs to my cutting table, rummaged through my stash again, and this time I managed to find several more complimentary fabrics to go with some that I had recently purchased.  I did my rudimentary cuts and now everything is down in my sewing room where I'm hopeful that the design will come together in the stitching.  It's nothing fancy but I think it will look nice and be an encouragement to this parishioner who is hurting.  Not surprisingly after all that, my Project 365 picture for the day is related to the prayer quilt shawl.


 Project 365 - May 31, 2010 (Day 4)

The fabric has been cut and brought down to the sewing room and now we'll see if this project in my head will actually come together into a quilted prayer shawl.

This Much I Know

There are a lot of things in this world that I don't know, despite the fact that I have pursued a lifetime of learning. How, for example, can you go from highest joy to fear to grief in just the space of a few sentences? Why does your nose swell when you cry? How can a parent make the pain go away for their children?

I found out two days ago that I was going to be a grandmother..... maybe, but there could be complications. Yesterday I found out that the baby was miscarried. I wish my father was still alive so I could crawl up on his lap again and have him explain to me why my tears taste like salt. I wish my mother was still able to make the pain go away. And most of all, I wish I could have spared my son and daughter-in-law this grief they are going through. Unfortunately, I just don't know how to do that.
But this much I know!

I know that a mother and a father have to grieve no matter how early or how late in a pregnancy a baby is lost.

I know that a baby in the womb is more than just a combination of cells that really mean nothing much until it is born, despite what they tried to tell us in the Sixties during Women's Liberation, and even today. I learned this the hard way. And ever since, I've tried to be as honest as possible with teenagers I've come into contact with and my own children about that fact. When you are pregnant, you are carrying a child....a human life. And the loss of that life will have a tremendous impact on you.

I know that God is in control and that not one life is lost, whether in the womb or having lived on this earth for many years without it being taken into account through His Divine Plan.

I know that those of us who have lost unborn children whether it was via miscarriage, stillbirth, or even abortion.....if we are Christians who have claimed Christ as our Savior and have been washed in His blood, then we will see our children in Heaven. The Bible says in Psalm 22:10 .."from my mother's womb you have been my God." In Psalm 139: 13-16 God is revealed as knowing us even before we were born, of forming us in the womb, and of allotting to each of us the number of days for our lives. The God of the universe, who has taken such care with the formation of a tiny life, has also provided for that child in His perfect plan.

Yes, this much I know. And someday, when I reach Heaven, I will have a joyous meeting with my two children I have not yet had the chance to hold and one beloved grandchild.

The View from the Streets

My son, the minimalist, called several weeks ago and the conversation went something like this.

"Hi, Mom. How are you and Dad doing? How's Grandma?"

"We're doing fine," I replied. "What's up with you?"

"Oh, not much," he casually offered. "Craig and I are going to be homeless next week. What do you hear from Laura?"

"She's doing OK. Working har.........What?" My brain put the brakes on. "What do you mean, 'homeless'?"

"Well, I mean homeless, you know...living on the streets. Nothing to worry about," he nervously laughed.

I know this laugh. I've heard it before, usually right before he tells us things like he's going to drive cross country by himself in a high-mileage car...or he's going to live in the slums of SE Asia somewhere for a month....or he wants to learn to sky-dive.

"And would you like to tell me WHY you are going to be homeless next week?," I probe.

"Well, Craig and I have been praying about this and we think it would be a good thing to voluntarily be homeless for one week and really see how the homeless live, what resources are available for them. It will help us build relationships with them to help minister to them later."

"Mother Teresa didn't go out and get AIDS so she could minister to AIDS victims in India," I point out.

"Did you ever hear of Father Damien?" he asks.

"Does a doctor have to have the disease in order to treat the sickness?" I counter. "Even Jesus slept at the homes of friends."

On his birthday, I couldn't help but wonder how he was going to celebrate. In my mind I pictured him pulling his birthday meal out of a dumpster. It was not a pleasant thought. Nor was it pleasant to realize that there are many mothers' sons and daughters who might be doing just that on their birthdays in slums around the world. The week dragged on with occasional emails from him when he'd get to a library computer.

Finally the week was up and we got another call.

"Hey, I survived," he announced.

"Are you OK," I asked. "You sound a little hoarse."

"Yeah....talk about irony, though. I was fine living on the streets but once I got back into a house, I got sick," he remarked.

The boy needed a review of the life of germs and the course of an illness which I started to give him but then I decided, "what's the use?"

"So, any other special challenges while you were living homeless last week?

"Well," he drawled, "we did discover that grassy parks are not good places to sleep."

"Why? Did you get bit by a tick?" I asked.

"No, but just as we had laid down our pieces of cardboard and had settled down on them to sleep, we heard this 'swishing' sound and suddenly realized that some automatic sprinklers had begun watering the grass. Our cardboard was ruined.....just soaked!" he ruefully laughed.

I thought back to 25 years ago, when I'd stick my head in his nursery to make sure that he was warm, dry, and fed. Don't all mothers wish this for their children?

"I'm glad you're home, Son," I whisper as I send up a prayer for those who don't have a roof over their heads.