A THANKSGIVING VEST
"In a way,
living is quilting.
We start with those scraps of material passed on to us -
our genetic makeup,
our family history,
our upbringing.
Then we purchase other materials we can afford to buy
with the talents and opportunities we've been given.
And finally,
we take all those pieces of material
and we put them together.
In any order we like.
It's a unique pattern of our own making."
Melanie Svoboda
This vest is a story of thanksgiving.
Luke 17: 11-19 tells of when Jesus healed ten men of a virulent skin disease. All were healed, even at a distance. Only one returned to give thanks and praise to God. Their healing was a process. They recognised who they were and what sort of life they were leading. They knew there was a way to wholeness and they sought it out. The ten men followed Jesus' instructions. But one man did more than that. He gave thanks.
living is quilting.
We start with those scraps of material passed on to us -
our genetic makeup,
our family history,
our upbringing.
Then we purchase other materials we can afford to buy
with the talents and opportunities we've been given.
And finally,
we take all those pieces of material
and we put them together.
In any order we like.
It's a unique pattern of our own making."
Melanie Svoboda
This vest is a story of thanksgiving.
Luke 17: 11-19 tells of when Jesus healed ten men of a virulent skin disease. All were healed, even at a distance. Only one returned to give thanks and praise to God. Their healing was a process. They recognised who they were and what sort of life they were leading. They knew there was a way to wholeness and they sought it out. The ten men followed Jesus' instructions. But one man did more than that. He gave thanks.
There are nine bells on the back of the vest to remind me of all the times Godde has healed me.
There is one bell on the front, a reminder to look for and give thanks for
all the little miracles that take place everyday in my life.
The frayed patch is my brokeness. There are always areas of my life that need healing.
The velvet centre to the log cabin patch is a reminder of the loving presence of Godde,
the centre of my life.
The prarie points indicate some of the ways I can encounter divine love ... scripture, prayer, people, experiences, creation, community, silence, giftedness, challenges, sacraments. There are many more.
The knotted ribbons reflect the ways I imprison myself in things that shut the divine out of my life ... busy-ness, self-pity.
There is one bell on the front, a reminder to look for and give thanks for
all the little miracles that take place everyday in my life.
The frayed patch is my brokeness. There are always areas of my life that need healing.
The velvet centre to the log cabin patch is a reminder of the loving presence of Godde,
the centre of my life.
The prarie points indicate some of the ways I can encounter divine love ... scripture, prayer, people, experiences, creation, community, silence, giftedness, challenges, sacraments. There are many more.
The knotted ribbons reflect the ways I imprison myself in things that shut the divine out of my life ... busy-ness, self-pity.
