Comfort & Inspiration

I noticed my dad shared this picture on his blog, and I just had to share it, too. This is one of the most comforting sights from my childhood. It is a needlepoint sampler that my mom made. It has always been displayed on the top of a living room endtable, topped with glass. I love the colors and the textures. I love how this shows my mom's personality and creativity. It is a treasure to me, and I always love to see this at my mom and dad's house when I visit. 

My mom really is an inspiration to me. She taught herself so many beautiful handcrafts, just by reading books and trying things out. She crochets, knits, does needlepoint, and sews. 

Here is a picture of the quilt my grandmother made for me. I still use it, even though it has several spots that need repair. It is well loved and filled with beautiful memories.

Leaving a legacy doesn't have to be perfect. It can have a mixture of colors and textures that don't seem to match or go together. Life is like that, too. We build tapestries and quilts with our lives, adding in good and bad memories, major life events, and lots of love. Sometimes we need to stop and repair things so they don't fall apart. I'm always thinking and considering what kind of legacy and memories I'm leaving for my children. What am I teaching them about how to live their lives and how to deal with people? Hopefully, they are realizing that their lives are full of choices. None of us will always make the right choice, and that is ok. It's ok to be easy on yourself and give yourself a break, because not everything in your life is going to line up and work out exactly as planned.

When we look back, however, we'll see a complex story, a tapestry, and a quilt full of rich colors. God can use and redeem every thing, even the things that we consider bad, hard, or tragic. I'm glad that our God knows how to create masterpieces out of each and every one of us. I am glad that I am not like you, and never will be. I want my kids to know that their lives don't have to look like mine. Their stories will be different, and their treasures and inspirations will be, too.