It begins...

A friend recently forwarded an email to me titled "The Invisible Mother," a short essay comparing the tireless and often thankless job of a mother to the builders of Europe's great cathedrals. Both give their whole lives for a work they will never see finished, both make sacrifices and expect no credit, and both are fueled in their passion by the faith that the eyes of God see every detail. The writer of the essay was inspired by the thought that our endless efforts in motherhood, invisible as they may seem, are worth it and can make an enriching life.


For many of us, the way we choose to hold our invisibility at bay is by creating something tangible. For me, my days often end with knitting - my love of fiber and the need to do something relaxing end up producing something I can hold and look at. Nobody will know how many times I swept under the high chair that day, or how many toys I picked up, or how many times I tried to coax a "please" or "more" or "sorry" out of my 5 year old. But a darling, handmade infant hat? That you can see.


I start new projects every day, and my 10 year old does the same. In this process of creating (and yes, often not finishing our projects!) we connect with each other and a bigger picture of ourselves in the process. My plan for this blog is to share the projects that excite me and bring some accessible proof of my existence in this invisible world of mothering!


So, this blog is dedicated to the mothers out there whose days are filled with the minutia of tasks that build our children and our families. I often tell people that I haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up. But for now, I am the builder of a great cathedral. With every shoelace tied, lunch packed, and forehead kissed, I build.


And I can hardly wait to create something new...


Thursday, April 21, 2011

Easter Approacheth

Will she get the sweater done in time for Easter?  The race is on, people! I finished knitting the second sleeve last night, and used my new blocking mats (thanks, Mom!) this afternoon to get the pieces stretched to size. Once they're dry - hopefully by tomorrow - I can sew the seams and add the front edging with button holes. Doh! I need to buy buttons! Just added a "Go to Hobby Lobby" reminder in my calendar for tomorrow. The matching sweater for Brynn has not been started...and I'm contemplating not doing it at all. Truth be told, I'm ready to be done with lace for awhile! Maybe I'll make it for her next spring.
I also managed to finishing knitting the prayer shawl I've had in the works for 6 months. Woo hoo! Wove the last ends in last night, and here's the finished shawl. I'll take it to Iowa next month for Mom's church.
This afternoon I pored over the list of donation items that our Service Unit needs for Day Camp. I pilfered my yarn stash, and filled an entire bag of scraps, fun fur, cheap acrylics, ugly cottons, and horrid wools. YAY! Hopefully they can be used for all kinds of campy craftiness. And oh, what to fill the space with!! No, must NOT go yarn shopping. :( I also founds all sorts of other random things on the list and have filled the trunk of my car so that we can drop it off after school today. CHECK.  Brynn woke up a tad early, so I didn't quite get to my hall closet sorting project (time to carry winter stuff to the basement.) Or the Phlox planted. Or the new house address numbers affixed (the hail storm wrecked our "3"). Or the eggs boiled for Sunday (although I did get 150 plastic eggs stuffed yesterday!) Or the flowers crocheted for a friend (more on that soon!) And now it's time to leave for school pickup. Onward and upward!
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1 comment:

  1. KathyApril 21, 2011 at 11:12 PM

    Oh, so glad the blocking mats came in handy already! :) I love mine, too. I'll be blocking a rather large lace shawl soon, and hope two sets is going to be enough!

    The sweater and prayer shawl both look wonderful, Heather! I know what you mean about being tired of lace. After a project of one kind, it's always nice to do something completely different for a while. :)

    Best wishes on whatever that will be. :)

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