December 2003:
By this time, I was convinced that I would never come up with anything resembling
the mandalas and circle quilts I'd been looking at. And it was Advent -
a time for anticipation, meditation, and pilgrimage. At this time of year,
I am drawn to star images. Finally, a piece made with wedges! And yet again,
a bright circle on a dark background. As I machine quilted this piece,
fragments of Bible verses bombarded me:
And God said, Let there by light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. - Genesis 1:3-5
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. . . . For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. - Isaiah 9:2,6,7a
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. . . . But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. - John 3:16,17,21
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 24 x 24" |
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As so often happens, I don't really know what I'm doing until I do it - sometimes long after it's finished. These three pieces were about moving out of darkness and into the light. They were reminding me about my dependence on God's grace and great mercy. They were about raising my spirits and moving beyond the disappointments of life. I have a better understanding of the Buddhist practice of raking sand into patterns. The sand will be disturbed and the patterns disappear. But the value is in the doing, not the having. The lessons stay, even if the vehicle (the mandala) does not. These little quilts have done their job, and may now move on, with my thanks. |
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