A year ago I decided to make a twin “scrappy” quilt (a quilt made from leftover fabric from other quilts).
Then I decided to veer into uncharted territory ~ instead of sending it to a longarm quilter, I decided to “tie” it. I had never tied a quilt before in my life so was really hesitant. It took some time but I finished it, put the binding on then put it in my closet.
Why? Because I was afraid that the “tying” wouldn’t hold if I washed it. There was no reason for me to have this fear as thousands of quilters tie their quilts. But in the closet in stayed … until last week when I took it out of the closet, looked it over and washed it today. And ya know what? The tying held perfectly.
My fear was for naught.
Isn’t that how many things in life are? We procrastinate because we’re not sure how things will turn out til we finally take the plunge and all is well.
I was so elated when I took it out of the dryer and a soft tied quilt greeted me.
I do not relish taking to the “skies’ in a plane and have visions of scenarios that shall remain unspoken.
Arriving at O’Hare airport for our recent flight to Boston for a cruise, was no exception.
Our travel agent had reserved the Exit row seats for us for the extra legroom. As I walked down the aisle to get to our seat, I was wondering who the window passenger might be because I was sitting in the middle row.
Upon arrival, I glanced at the gentleman sitting at the window seat. Wearing a black suit, white starched shirt, black shoes and a black tie I was, well, curious. After securing my seatbelt and making sure both Phil and I were settled, I looked at the man whose face was blank and said “Are you a preacher?” The words came out before I could stop them. The man looked at me puzzled as if he didn’t hear and Phil repeated the question “She was wondering if you’re a preacher.”
No, said the young man. He had the whitest teeth.
Not wanting to bother him again, I remained quiet for the rest of the trip.
After we landed, I stood up, grabbed my carry on, turned and said “I hope you have a nice day” which favored me with a smile.
Well, that was interesting …
Fast forward to our trip home. This time we were on the other side of the plane in an exit row and again I was to sit in the middle seat.
Upon arrival, the window passenger was already there. There in front of me was seated a man with a blue suit, white starched shirt, spiffed up shoes, a tie and a gray hat with a feather in it.
Alright I mumbled to myself. No questions. But I had to wonder if God had placed a well-dressed angel in the same row as us ~ again.
The steward came by and this gentleman requested his free drink ~ actually, two small bottles of liquor. He said he had “status” which means he was a frequent flyer. The steward complimented him on his hat so I wasn’t the only one who noticed it.
Hmmm … do angels drink? Ahh, I thought ~ perhaps they too can turn liquor into water, eh?
After we deplaned, the tall man in the blue suit starting walking past me with large strides yet I wanted to take his picture ~ kind’ve like pinching yourself to know it’s real. I know, I know ~ it is a little odd. And so, leaving Phil behind (he doesn’t usually keep up with my crazy ideas), I quickly walked behind the man with the gray feathered hat to see if I could take a picture of him.
Do angels wear suits? I’ll have to wait til heaven to find out. Angels or not, God provided this anxious child of His with a distraction.
“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2
Sitting on my couch, I looked up and noticed how beautiful the day was ~ just by looking out the family room window.
I count myself blessed to be sitting here at peace with no disruptions except for any I make for myself.
My heart is saddened though as I hear a news feature ~ a 7 year old boy in Chicago was shot by a stray bullet while washing his hands in the bathroom in preparation for dinner.
What’s even more tragic is that his father died the previous week.
His name ~ Akeem.
His family ~ heartbroken.
More and more evil seems to be happening …
I sit looking out the family room window … no amount of beauty can erase a senseless killing.
The vibrant colors of autumn along with the crisp air always seem to remind me of a time long long ago when I would walk from the apartment I lived in to my grandmother’s (Mami Saro) house.
As I left the apartment to walk the one block to get to her house, I was focused on getting there.
Mami Saro had me spoiled. It seemed like she had a favorite from each one of her six children’s kids. I considered myself lucky.
The door was usually unlocked when I arrived. Entering the apartment the smell of food always permeated the air. Would she make my favorite “snack” today ~ scrambled eggs with diced spam ham? All I had to do was ask.
The ham would quickly be roasted on a frying pan before the egg would be added. Comfort food.
Yes, this was a most welcoming and loving place. Autumn floods my brain with those feelings.
A friend of mine sent me this bookmark a couple years ago. It’s a constant reminder of how Jesus lived His life ~ reflecting the Father’s character to one person at a time.
Looking back over my life at all the times God intervened, I am in awe of His love and mercy. Many times I failed miserably at reflecting His character and He continued to love and bless me.
I hope you know that He loves you too and that no matter what you’re going through in life, He continues to want to salvage our lives “oner person at a time.”
Awhile ago I made a quilt for my sister who requested a “Rainbow Quilt.”
There were many patterns on the internet to choose from but I decided to make her a quilt which was simple. She chose the fabric and the pattern that I had forwarded to her.
For the back I chose a fabric that had different variations of color.
Rainbow Quilt
It didn’t take me too long to cut the strips and sew them together.
We woke up to about 5 inches of snow today so mid-morning my husband and I headed outdoors in the 15 degree weather to shovel.
After shoveling our driveway and sidewalks I asked my husband if he was up to shoveling the neighbors driveway and sidewalk also. He agreed.
About 45 minutes after we had come inside, we looked out the window to see the neighbor’s son with his snowblower clearing off one small area that we had decided not to do. Had we waited he would have done all of it, but we have no regrets.
Then I received a text from a neighbor two houses down from us and she wanted to drop something off for us and wanted to make sure we were home.
Within minutes she left a large brown bag on the front bench. We waved at her as her young daughter recently was exposed to someone who had Covid so she didn’t want us to chat this time.
Opening the front door I quickly grabbed the bag and brought it indoors. The bag felt warm as I laid it on the kitchen counter.
I opened it and saw it was a loaf of homemade baked bread. Wow! I felt so blessed by this kind gesture of hers.
Homemade Bread
I had planned to make a curry dish for dinner with rice but decided to have this bread instead of rice.
It was delicious!
Vegetarian Curry
Since we moved to a suburb of Illinois a couple years ago we have been blessed with neighbors who shovel our walkways, bring us food and even desserts!
After dinner my husband heard a knock on the door and when he opened it the neighbor whose driveway we shoveled handed him a box and thanked him for shoveling her driveway. She had woken up with a pain in her arm so wasn’t able to go outside.
We were instructed not to open the box until tomorrow …
I decided I was going to teach myself how to make Makena a dress or two. Purchased the pattern and headed to YouTube as its quite complicated for a newbie. (They seem to make lots of assumptions on what one knows …)
Finally got all the pieces cut and headed to the sewing machine. Reading each step several times I started sewing. I was so proud of myself until I made it to step 2 which I’m sure is missing instructions.
After sewing two pieces together I took it off the machine and laughed and laughed as I had sewn the armpit together.
Grief is not a lack of faith. When I go for walks and suddenly burst into tears and hyperventilate, it is my flesh and mind reminding me that I have suffered a great loss because I have loved greatly.
I turn my face upwards to lean on my precious Jesus who knows my heart and is the only One who can comfort me.
My husband’s mother recently died and, although they were not close, it had an impact on him.
Sadness crept in and a sense of wondering what to do. We had gone to visit her in another state a month earlier as she had started hospice and we knew the end was near.
People who know my husband know he is a quiet and reserved person, so most chose to send him a text and he responded to each one.
But what else can people do when they aren’t sure exactly how to respond when someone dies?
I have five very simple suggestions:
Call them. Instead of texting, which seems to be more common these days, people need to hear the voice of others saying “we heard your mother died, how are you doing?” Allow the person to talk if they have something to say. You can also share a memory of the person if you have one ~ but, if you don’t have a memory to share, it’s okay to have the conversation be short. It’s not about length of time on the phone but more about checking in to let them know you care and are aware of the situation.
Send flowers. I would wait a couple days or even a week or two to send flowers. This shows you have not forgotten that they are going through a time of grieving. We received the bouquet below and it lasted almost two weeks and served as a reminder that we were thought of.
Sympathy Flowers
3. Send a card. My husband received many of his cards 1-2 weeks after his mother died and they are still on display. Again, a reminder that someone thought of him and cared to send a message.
Sympathy Cards
4. Deliver food or have it delivered. I know this sounds strange to some, but we had a cousin send us a delivery from a company called Wolferman’s which included breakfast muffins and a frozen quiche. Every time we have breakfast we think of the thoughtfulness of that cousin.
5. A year later ~ do one of the above. Although the person has been dead for a year the anniversary of a person’s death is fresh in a person’s mind. I have a friend who, 10 years after his wife has died, still grieves for her so I call him on that day and we share memories of her.
Some feel awkward to call or send something, but small kindnesses really help a person who is grieving.
