I was blessed to have a Grandma who lived to the age of 101. She was full of stories and always eager to hear mine. We sat at the same kitchen table she had my entire lifetime (and more), chatting about current family events and weaving in snippets from conversations past at that sturdy table.
The simplicity of things always being the same at Grandma's was comforting. She was content with doing things simply, the way she always had. Although the family finally talked her into a microwave years ago, a dishwasher never came. Her hands did the job just fine. My childhood memories of her washing and Grandpa drying side-by-side are vivid despite the decades that have marched on since.
Grandma had her daily routines, her seasonal rhythms, and just kept going strong. She was heroic in her quiet life journey, one day at a time. And gradually the decades stacked up, then gradually passing by that century line.
Quiet living adds up, weaving a family legacy over time. Grandma lived in the same house more than 75 years. That little house stored a mishmash of summer memories for me that have fused into an overall caption of belonging and contentment.
Grandma was fiercely independent and liked things just-so. She was sturdy in her convictions. Her way of doing things stood the test of time.
When I consider today's verse, I think of Grandma and how she lived her life quietly.
And, boy, did Grandma work with her hands...canning homegrown vegetables, cleaning, preparing meals, washing dishes, mowing, gardening, weeding, crocheting, quilting, and clasping them in prayer.
Grandma left a legacy in afghans and quilts. After providing quilts for all of her family members, she stitched quilts for church auctions and charitable causes. I may be a bit biased, but she was a quilting rockstar.
Every summer I watched her crocheting or sewing on her quilt-in-progress. I loved her attention to detail and her tenacious effort to make so many handmade things out of love for others. Our family cherishes Grandma's handiwork each time we wrap ourselves in one of her beautiful creations.
I think we all benefit from a sense of accomplishment when we've produced something with our hands, focusing on one thing at a time to calm our mental frenzy and mute our environmental distractions.
Part of what #biblequilting offers us is a chance to be creative with our hands. More importantly, it pulls us deeper into the Word, quieting our spirits one verse at a time.
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