is for quotations.
There are so many wonderful quotes about gratitude. And you know how I feel about words – glorious words gathered into beautiful connection, whether poetry or prose, really delight my heart.
Last year I began a practice which has proven a continuing delight to me – my take on the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina. Traditionally it’s a Benedictine practice that involves working with a piece of sacred text; reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating it. My practice involves choosing a snippet of poetry or a quote and immersing myself in it all month and then creating some object or piece of art at the end of my contemplation. I’ve talked about it here, here, and here and shown examples of what I’ve created.
This month the quote that I’ve been dancing with is by an unknown author:
“Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel.”
It’s a beautiful expression isn’t it? And pretty straightforward. And yet it has been profoundly captivating for me as I’ve felt a deepening connection with my grandmother this month, remembering all her fine handstitching, her tatting, all the precious carefulness she put into what we now call the domestic arts and yet for her were simply ways of living. I’m unraveling some energetic ties with things now moving into my past, and I feel my grandmother here comforting me and reminding me I’m simply removing some not-so-perfect stitches so I can create something I love even more. That in itself feels like a wonderful blessing, and I’m hemming that with gratitude stitches in my heart.
The other day while I was working on my full moon board and sorting through images, I came across a little slip of paper tucked amid the pile of pictures. That’s the way it is for me. I’m always finding these perfect reminders, these perfect inspirations, these perfect winks from the angels and my guides. What I found was a traditional blessing of the Tzutujil people of Guatemala:
“Long life. Honey in the heart. No evil. Thirteen thank-yous.”
And so it came to me that for my project this month I’ll be creating something written with those words and hemmed, and with every one of the stitches I’ll be counting my blessings.
And what about you? Does poetry and/or quotations inspire your artwork or journaling? Have a favorite snippet to share? What has today brought that you’re grateful for? Do tell – you know I love to hear.