I Love You More – A Saturday Stitching Post

After having finished a very large, long-term project prior to Christmas, I needed my next cross stitch project to be fairly easy and a quick stitch. I had visited my daughter in her current home in Nashville over Christmas, and I decided to stitch something for her that would match her color scheme. For a long time I have thought about stitching a saying that has been part of our conversations innumerable times over the years. I often followed her “I love you” with “I love you more.”

I started the project in January by charting the design. That simply means that I got out graph paper and drew the design that I wanted to use. Then it was a matter of picking out the floss colors and fabric. For me it is absolutely thrilling to make those first stitches in a project and gradually see the design unfold.

Advertisement

Easter Morning Musings

It is a beautiful Easter morning in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I woke up early to go Mass and celebrate the greatest of all events of Christianity: the day that Jesus was resurrected into heaven to atone for the sins of mankind.

There was a slight chill in the air but also the promise of a beautiful day.  As the congregation gathered there was a definite feeling of hope and peace and grace. The sun was just rising and it seemed to be peaking out from under clouds which soon dissipated. We were left with a beautiful sunshine filled day.

Santa Maria de la Paz Santa Fe, New Mexico

In his homily, the priest drew an analogy using Jesus’s tomb that was found empty by his disciples on Easter morning. We should each look at the tomb within us, and tombs within society, and strive to empty them of negative things: violence, or love of material objects, or gossip, or disrespect. These negative things within each of us should be replaced with love.

The message of seeking love and happiness is oft-repeated outside of the Christian tradition as well as within it.  Much is written about filling ourselves with happiness and going forward with a renewed sense of goodness.  Easter represents new life Christianity, and it is no mistake that Easter coincides with spring which is also a celebration of new life.

Easter Memories – Throwback Thursday

The season of spring brings the holiday of Easter. Growing up in my Catholic Christian family Easter was the greatest celebration of the year.  For the 40 days of Lent we had practiced sacrifice, amped up prayer and charity in preparation for the death and resurrection of the Lord.  Holy week was a time of prayer and church services, culminating in Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Christ to save humankind. On Good Friday afternoon, all businesses in our community were closed from noon to 3 p.m. in honor of the time Jesus hung on the cross.

We attended Sunday mass every week, but on Easter Sunday it had special meaning. For me, the greatest significance of Easter is the religious meaning.  Easter has now become  commercialized to the point that faithful Christians may not think about the religious meaning.

The spring holiday further represents newness.  A tradition dating back for generations is having new clothes for Easter Sunday.  My brothers and sisters always had new-to-us clothes which we were always so proud of.  With eight children brand new clothes for each of us were out of the question, but we always proudly wore the clothes that we did get. Girls and women were required to have their heads covered at Mass, so my sisters and I always got a new-to-us hat for Easter. They would not have been classified as the traditional Easter bonnet, but it was part of our Easter tradition.