{Fr. Roman Braga} ~ a video to uplift us

Video found here in a moving description of Fr. Roman Braga

spirituality of joy

Before Pascha...

The 12 Gospels read at night of

Christ's Passion...

A long but very beautiful and deepening service...

The Cross and the Resurrection are so deeply 

linked that you cannot have one without 

the other,

which is our hope...

and the church shows that even with the Cross,

the light of 12 Candles...

A future quilt technique...

Template-Free Kaleidoscope Puzzle Quilts Part 1

{I am posting this here so I remember it for the future!

It looks so easy!!!)

Father Roman Braga: Memory Eternal!!

Fr. Roman Braga has 

fallen asleep in the Lord,

yesterday, 

April 28, 2015.

Obituary here

Funeral arrangements here.

*

May God comfort all those who love him!

May God bless Holy Dormition Monastery

where he served so faithfully!

May Fr. Roman pray for us all in the heavens!

Memory Eternal!

Memory Eternal!

Memory Eternal! 

Towards Completion: Blue Blanket, Little White Horse + 2 others

Third and last section of my blue Checkered blanket is 

over half way done!

After this I have to decide what colour to use

for the boarder 

and I hope it will be done in the next weeks!

Re-read Elizabeth Gougde's The Little White Horse,

which is such a happy delightful book,

I highly recommend it!

*

Also still reading Willa Cather's 

Song of the Lark and A Grace Disguised: How a Soul Grows Through Loss.

Both very worthy books to read.

*

What are you creating and reading?

Yarn Along with us!

Pascha 2015

It was, as a good friend said,

a bittersweet Pascha for us this year...

having just the day before

learned of Mr. Husband's 

Godson's death...

*

I thought I should put up some 

pictures from Pascha nonetheless... 

I am so glad that Pascha is for 40 days

and that we get to keep singing 

"Christ is Risen from the dead,

trampling down death by death"

*

It is the best news,

the only news,

we really need to know

and it is saving news...

{Bright Week} ~ a wonderful meal

Bright Wednesday.

It was my first full day home after

all that had happened. 

*

I remember being exhausted and at times quite shaky. 

*

We ordered out and I got the same meal

I got take out for Christmas this past year.

*

We had a much of our Christmas gift basket

from Mr. Husband's parents blessed at Pascha this year.

We have much of it to enjoy yet....

First Sewing Lesson

My Quilting Friend brought this green fabric for me to 

practice on.

She set up my machine, made sure all the parts were there,

(we did not have tons of time, she understands what she is reading

and efficency counts for something!!!),

and got me going...

I had a cutting lesson on how to measure fabric to be cut...

This omnigrid is amazing!

Hello easy to measure!

And the huge cutting mat?

50% off at Joanne's last Tuesday.

So we washed all the fabrics I have and ironed some of them.

My QF (quilting friend) told me of these snapware

containers that are great to keep fabric in.

My friends, 

you are seeing all of the fabric for the quilt

for my goddaughter!

Actually, it's enough fabric for two quilts if I don't 

blotch the cutting/sewing!

I got the supplies we needed;

in a moment of mercy 

(considering all that was going on at the time)

I thought to email my friend to ask her to make

a list of all the sewing stuff (notions) I would need

to do this project.

She made a list on evernote, I downloaded evernote to my

smartphone, she emailed me the list and we were good to go!

Bonus was that most of the stuff I needed I got at least 

50% off at Joanne's.

Whew.

So not only did I have my

how-to-use-a-rotary-cutter-and-measure lesson,

I got the 

how-to-wind-a-bobbin and how-to-thread-my-machine lessons!

Picture above is my first bobbin!

I got on QF's suggestion a bobbin box and I have decided

that the word 'bobbin box' is one that should be in the 

vocabulary of all hobbit-lovers as it just sounds like

it should be in a Hobbit's hole...

bobbin box....

And after two ties on smaller squares,

I did a strait line of sewing!

Now I just have to repeat this a lot of times... 

I am so excited to learn!

Thoughts on love

I am really appreciating this book,

one that I read the first time when I was 21

and grieving the loss of a woman

who was like a spiritual mother to me;

I remember when she died, it was sunny and 

I felt like I had lost my Mother.

*

This time I am reading it almost 20 years later and I am 

married to Mr. Husband.

*

And one of the unexpected joys of reading this book

is how his description of his marriage to his wife

had so much goodness in it and it reminds me of my marriage.

*

It also reminds me of how I hope that I do not die

before Mr. Husband as I wish him not to go 

through the pain of loss that this author did.

*

I am really greatful for the life I have with my Mr. Husband

and for all that it contains.

{Grief Work} ~ Remembering.....

I have no pictures of her,

my friend's Mom who died when we were 18.

I first met my friend B. when we were in middle school;

her small house was the bus stop; 

I think we were both new the area but don't really remember

but one snowy cold winter day she invited 

myself and siblings in while we were waiting for the bus

for hot cocaco; 

it was a small comfortable kitchen with wooden cupboards

and she mixed-up Swiss Miss for us all.

I remember being warmed by the company and the hot cocoa.

My friend's actions were warm and nurturing, natural...

We went to different schools but in time we were friends

and would visit; I esp. remember visiting in the summer.

*

My new friends often had the TV on and it was always to

soap operas, not something we were even allowed to 

watch at my house and nothing I could relate to.

*

I lived in the beautiful countryside and before we moved,

I had no neighbours at all.

*

So to have some kids my age near by was nice.

*

Their house was always clean, tidy.

*

I have vividly in my memory meeting their 

Mom for the first time,

she was shorter than myself, petite,

naturally blond hair, a bit on the

strawberry blond side I think.

Pale blue eyes that had a warmth and also

a story that she would not tell I think;

her voice was kind, husky,

adult sounding, she looked as young as her second daughter,

and could of been a twin.

When I told her what was obvious,

she seemed surprised as if no one had told them this before.

She was not a Mother who was trying to look as young as her

daughter, she just happened to look this way,

though now that I think of it she was,

in her deeper voice and older eyes, 

very much the adult.

*

To this day I don't know if I have every met

someone that seemed so accepting of others.

I was deeply struck by this.

*

I remember she was wearing a clean thick white robe,

a white towel neatly wrapping her wet hair;

I must of been over in the morning.

*

I did not see her often but was always

impressed by her presence.

*

Well, the last time I saw her she was bringing a can of coffee over

to the new widower of the first Mother who died in October of 1994.

It was a wretched year for my family, for myself;

the first Mother and the second Mother had become friends

over the years, sharing, I am sure,

a love of flower gardening and now I wonder

if they shared other burdens as well,

that as a young teen I really knew nothing about.

*

I grew up church-home-school in a simple unity;

CRC church, CRC school, CRC home.

My family was in tact, my father loving, gentle and given to teasing,

my mother funny, great sense of humour and deep practicality that was rooted 

in a family of 8 of who she is the youngest and a

long standing Dutch Christian piety that we were all raised in.

*

Somehow the other neighbours were quite different;

so much so that my Mother was worried about me being with some of them,

though she never stopped me.

She always gave me freedom I realize now and that in the end

I think saved me more than if she had put down huge disciplinary 

ways, esp. as thankfully I had not inclination to party

or do anything that would of endangered myself.

*

I was a lonely kid, no question about it.

But I was not the kind of kid to try to escape it by partying, etc.

*

So, there we were in I think late in Winter of 1995.

We were really still reeling for the first death of that first Mother 

of four who died; I remember a dark night, the sun had set 

and we were eating a lateish dinner and heard ambulances racing by,

not normal for the countryside but that's all we knew

and we were a family that tended to be quiet and keep to oneself.

So it was not until probably two days later, I think on a Sunday afternoon,

that my brother told my Mother or the other neightbour told my Mother,

don't remember, that it was the other Mother down the street from the

first Mother who had died.

*

This second Mother, 

was on life support; a tragic accident....

I was shocked; I knew this family more than the

rest of my family and I called them immediately,

their phone number was just two digits different than ours.

*

The youngest daughter answered,

they had just taken her off life support she said

and you can come over if you'd like.

She was gone after 3 days and they were going to cremate her.

I went right over....

*

I went to the funeral; I think I must of gotten out of school to do so;

I think it was in the morning; 

it was horrible; horrible in that the priest did not know her

but had been briefed about her;

it was my first time in our local Catholic church;

at that time I knew nothing about other branches of Christianity,

only that our CRC church of course thought they

were the right one.

*

I think that I remember hearing murmuring 

about how the priest did not know her;

how when he said she loved planting vegetables even I knew she did not do this;

only flowers, beauty only thank you!

And when the priest mentioned heaven,

well that was the worst moment; the Mother's Mother cried out in a loud 

lament and was carried out at the end of the funeral,

unable to walk.

*

I did not talk to her then or see her again, but her agony I have not forgotten.

*

I don't think I ever processed this death and how the people she knew loved her,

how they found poetry of hers hidden away and that they

saw that she was not happy internally.

*

How they loved her, 

how she was gone,

how she was beautiful in her simplicity

and in how kind and accepting she was of others;

I knew that if someone needed a place to stay and then 

overstayed the welcome, she could not turn them away;

her husband would have to gently move the person on.

*

And that is the Second Mother;

you don't need to know their real names but unbelievably,

the two Mothers who died,

they share the same name.

Watercolour in Blue

For years I have drawn big

blue abstract tears for processing

sadness.

I really liked the verse I put with this one;

it feels so hopeful...

And about today...

After a lot of 'going' today,

with allergies, nearly two weeks of poor sleeping,

and emotional intensity,

today I am tired, thoat a bit sore.

*

So I got up this morning, lit all the living room lampadas, 

had breakfast, did a little online

and realized I was so tired that even trying to watch a movie,

a rare thing for me at any rate,

was out of the question.

*

And so a nap it was and I woke at noon, made lunch,

ate with Mr. Husband, and continued around the house,

a bit tired, dazed.

*

It's going to take time to recover,

I've told my husband many times, if only from the 

exhaustion of the last days; instead of a 

Brighr Monday day off rest, we buried

Mr. Husband's godson;

we've had little rest and many nights of poor sleep.

*

It's going to take time

and recovery seems like such a huge thing today,

like a mouse needing to eat a mountain of delicious cheese

and the mouse can only take little bites at a time of the mountain.

And you know, 

that's OK.

*

So today was a rest day...

a hot bath, ate the last three orange chocolate sticks, 

vegan ones, from Trader Joes,

read more of the light and wonderful book 

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge,

did dishes, ordered groceries and talked to my Mom.

*

It was a good restful day,

rest can be so important...

*

Cleo got attention too:

She was told by Mr. Husband at lunch

she needed more courage...

(she is goofy and runs away often when he

comes near)...

She also loves to sit in my seat

where I sit to write most of my blog posts.

She apparently thinks she is a blogger!

She's curled up next me now as I type... :)

Blanket: the third section + two books

I started the third section of my blanket!!! I think this section may go on the 

side of the first section, for colour and texture reasons...

The light blue is not showing up with the brightness that is in 

it in this picture but at least you see that I 

am really getting a good handle on the seed stitch!

I am reading more of Melody Beattie ~ 

I knew her first in her fairly famous book

Codependant No More

and her book The Grief Club

is intense and deals with loss of all different kinds, 

including some servere disfunction (i.e. some hard reading)

but it's helpful too for me to just read about loss

and about facing the loss, honouring the loss,

grieving it and going through the time of it. 

I am also reading the book

A Grace Disguised: How a Soul Grows Through Loss

I read this book years ago in it's first edition,

and I am finding it quite helpful...

*

I wrote more about how I am dealing with the recent

loss of Mr. Husband's godson and am hopeful

for a lot of healing and to grieve well...

I find books a real help to me in this...

*

So here is the three sections of my blue textured blanket:

it is really coming along!

I am going to do some different stitches

soon in the new section...

What are you reading and making?

Yarn Along with us!

A Sunny Day full of many things....

Photo above from the 9 day panahyda for 

Mr. Husband's godson.

*

So I've been writing how the grief

has opened up other things;

sometimes when you are in sudden grief,

a lot of other things become clear

and gives the motifvation to work through them

and figure it out.

Sometimes to do this I need help;

I am not afraid to ask for what I need or to work to get it.

So I am seeing an older Catholic woman who has

counselled people in berevament situations,

my first meeting was today.

It went well though it was really just a 

'here I am, here's the deal and where do we go from here' 

first meeting.

But it went well and I have more lined up with her

to help me do the grief work;

it's for me working through years of this

that I did not have a chance to do before,

as I alluded to.

I worry at times that I will overwhelm 

someone by writing about grief,

but I also think it is really important to write about.

*

I don't read this blog all the time now,

but Amy Welborn's blog documents

the sudden loss of her husband and 

somewhere along the way she mentiones going

to a person to work out the grief with.

*

I am thinking it may be worth getting her book on this sudden loss.

*

So of course I am not the grieving widow

but I am a grieving friend

and sometimes a shock means some rocks get loose

and one needs to look at what is left when

the rocks are gone

and re-figure things out.

*

I am kind of still in a 

'where am I now' state, is best I can explain it.

One of my closet friends in NJ just lost her husband;

my church munchkin his father.

I am remembering a woman who died 20 years ago

and who I never grieved properly.

All I know is now is the time.

*

For me grieving is also showing love for the person

who is gone and I am really excited for this;

the sadness of course is hard to bear

but when you love, it is much easier.

*

And in other ways I am re-figuring things out

that are a bit more nebolous but basically is a need

to understand my roles in my life since I got married

and so many of my relationships have changed.

*

I will tell you one thing though:

I refuse to be ashamed to say I am getting help by talking to someone.

Our culture seems so much about only

being happy or at least don't mention it when you are not,

but that just does not work.

Perhaps you noticed.

*

Anyway, some beautiful things up next and 

a new old beautiful One that I failed to see

the full meaning and profundity of...

until today that is...

*

Look: cute dress!!! 

 My new dress, DV to be worn at a wedding I am going to later

this summer. 

It's great colours and I love the drape of it.

I've not yet lived through an April at our new home and

it was so neat to see flowering trees near by...

poor Mr. Husband's allergies are raging though, so 

he is not as happy to see them all...

I am re-reading this book by Jerry Sittser on loss and

it is really good to revisit. 

Ok, my so NOT organic weakness.

A Snickers Ice Cream Bar. 

:)

*

And here's the profoundity.

I walked to the beautiful weathered Catholic statue

of the Mother of God and I saw what looked like a 

red  ball that someone put by her feet and then I looked closer and saw...

It is the promise in Genesis come true:

 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; 

it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

(Genesis 3:15)

The Mother of God bore Christ and

by this the serpent was put down forever,

he is crushed.

*

It was just so good to remember,

when seeing so much evil and tragdgy in the world,

evil does not win and it's head is crushed.

*

And that was the profundity that today gave me.

I am so thankful.