Memories & Stitching for His Glory

August of 2008 found me terribly full of nervous energy. We were about to go through Anna’s cardiac catheterization and I needed something to keep my hands busy during the procedure. I sat on the morning of the 25th slowly stitching ornaments for our family’s front foyer tree. I knew that this one tree in our house at Christmas adorned old glass balls that Anna would find completely impossible not to touch. Due to that fact I knew I needed to replace those fragile ornaments with cloth one’s to withstand whatever grabbing we would have to work through that first Christmas together.

As I stitched the wreath and added the red beads I had no idea how my life would take a drastic change and the ornaments would become the symbol of something totally different. Each of the ornaments in this pattern pack has a meaning that I know was given to me as comfort by the Holy Spirit. The cross; a sign of the sacrifice made unselfishly on my behalf. The wreath, a symbol of the never ending love our heavenly Father has for each one of us. The dove, a declaration of peace….peace that goes beyond all understanding and guides us here on earth. The star, the beacon that shone that very night in Bethlehem to show the way & to announce the arrival of the Messiah. At the moment I thought my life would be forever shattered my hand was being guided by the Holy Spirit to give me a message. The message that I am forever held & loved by Jesus……without beginning or end….just like the wreath ornament. The full impact of its dear meaning really overwhelms me every December as I bring out the ornaments. Just recently I took out the template (pattern) of the wreath to cut for gifts and I realized the last time my hand touched any of the templates my Anna was still alive. She had watched me make the patterns and cut the fabric to make several that I kept and gave even last year. Then through the tears its meaning rang clear……I am loved forever without end…by my Savior and my precious daughter. She will be waiting for me to share eternity.

Eternity is what I stay focused on with every year that passes. I am sad every year in August and that is O.K. I am allowed to be. The contentment in the blessing I call my life still keeps me going even in the sadness. That contentment comes from only the Lord. So I will start making ornaments to give as gifts later this year & will praise God with every stitch and thank Him for the gift of Anna. To His glory I raise my hands today!