Change of Plans

"Chaaarge it!," said Betty Rubble and Wilma Flintstone with reckless abandon when they were shopping! Despite my own credit card skills, I do very little with reckless abandon, including shopping. Most of what I do is planned out until my stomach hurts from the stress of doing it just right. From my budget (a 12-page excel workbook with all the income allocated to each area by a percentage system and some super-fun formula cells) to the way I wash the laundry (sheets on Tuesday, towels on Wednesday, clothes on Saturday) to putting together a vacation, all tasks are approached with a plan. No matter how hard I try, however, nothing in my life is perfect...or even close. 

Sure, all my planning and doing photos on Instagram and Facebook are the smiley ones (or cats...or yarn...), and I know that many of my friends believe that I lead a charmed life...but really I am just getting by on many days. I plan, and when my plans (frequently) do not work out, I feel my feelings...and I eat my feelings...and they are not good feelings. 

I struggle with planning and making good choices and living with less than good choices, but that's life for all of us, right? Right. So I slap on a smile, even though I occasionally live on the edge of sadness, notsomuch to convince you that I am happy...but to convince ME that I am going to be ok. 

One of the tools that keeps me from jumping off a cliff when I have the sadz, besides not living close to any cliffs, is remembering three truths: 

1. No matter what is going on, God is still good.* 
2. No matter who else has let me down (or who I may be letting down), God keeps his promises.** 
3. No matter how disappointed I may be in any given situation, even when God is not doing what I want Him to do, God is doing what needs to be done. He has a plan.***

So, if God has a plan, plans are good, and I  keep planning. Well, God's plans are good, for sure. My plans may be good, but they are not His plans, so sometimes I have to back the heck up and change my plan. This is really hard for me, and it makes my face look not-smiley...I do not take or post pictures of my "why is this not working?" face. 

When I make that face, I try to stop and breathe and let myself feel it, then remind myself of the three truths that help me to go on. God is good, He keeps his promises and He has a plan. Praise God! Because In the "this is not working" places, I am uber-aware of the fact that I am not good, I break promises and my plans are often foiled. Then what?

My mom used to say, "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again." Good advice. Keep calm and carry on-ish advice. I am very thankful for good advice, and that God is working good things, even in my failure. So I will keep planning, my plans will keep failing and I will make adjustments. Life goes on, with or without me and my face. 

Thankfulness (1 Thessalonians 5:18) gets me through the rough stuff and helps me to slap on that smile. I am thankful for a place to live and sleep in comfort, for food in my belly (often more than I need) and clothes on my back. I am even thankful for a good parking space, when I happen to find one. Most of all, I am thankful that God provides a way for me, even when my plans fail. I am thankful to have his plans.

What are you thankful for? I know you can find something, if you look long and hard enough. So breathe, feel the feelings, then slap on a smile and come knit with me. You will likely find more things to be thankful for each time you look...keep looking.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by. I hope that you will Knit in Good Health and Thankfulness, today and always.

*God is still good. (1 John 1:5; Psalm 145:9)

**God keeps his promises. (Joshua 21:45; Hebrews 6:13-18)

***God has a plan. (Romans 8:28 & 12:2)

What's Your Sign?

Signs are good. Signs tell us where to go, and sometimes when to go there. Signs tell us to stop and turn or keep on keepin' on. We are all looking for a sign at some point. 

Working in a church, I notice church signs. Some are clever and some are tired. Some are both at the same time. Have you seen this one?

C H _ _ C H

What's missing?

At one time, that was fresh, new and innovative, and in some communities, it may still be. In the suburbs of Cleveland, it is a little tired. Still, I get the sentiment, and I appreciate the effort of the local church, trying to reach out to share the message that Jesus is for everyone. It is sometimes a difficult message to share in 21st century America.

There is a church that I pass 5 days a week, on my way to and from work. They are an older church (I once attended a service there) with a shiny, new, electronic sign. They have two messages on their sign this October:

Satan is a sick trick! 

and

Jesus is the real treat!

Let me start by saying that these two statements are not false. However, every time I drive past, I kind of want to stop in and ask the pastor how that is an effective use of signage resources. How does it really affect our community? Do people come in from the street and ask, "What does your sign mean?," and then stick around to learn about Jesus, or do they just keep driving? Are new people coming in at all?

There is an electronic sign at my church, and I change the messages as necessary. I will not be putting any kitsch-y, quirky messages on that sign. I stick to service times, event details, and thinking questions, like "What are you reading?" Our sign should reflect that we care about our community, and would like to invite everyone inside, that we want to meet you and learn more about you. Just like Jesus, we want to share with you the love that has the power to change the outlook of any life. Our church's message is that Jesus is for everyone, like most Christian churches...but if people never come inside (whether they attend a church service or a rummage sale, craft fair or community event) how will they ever know that? 

As a follower of Jesus, and an active member of my local Christian church, I sometimes struggle with the signs that I see my brothers and sisters in Christ holding. I struggle with the signs I hold up in my day-to-day life...not physical signs, with boldly lettered messages, but the signs people see when they watch how I live. How often do I hold up signs that say I am too tired or busy to care? Too unreliable to help? Too full of my own drama to welcome and comfort a friend? 

I am embarrassed to say that I do hold up those signs, and I know it. I want to hold up the signs that say, " I have hope that I can share with you. Can I help make your day better? I want to be your friend. I have found a really good thing, and I want to show you," but I too often let the circumstances of my life dictate signs that say, "I am stressed. I am tired. I can not take one more thing." I confess this daily, and accept God's forgiveness, and then I try to do better. Hopefully I do better today than I did yesterday, and hopefully my signs are not so cheesy that potential friends are just driving past without a second glance.

JOHN 3:16

Again, true and concise, the gospel message in just a few words.* But how many  friends who have zero church experience look that up after the game?  

What kind of signs catch your attention? What kind of signs are you holding up? Who is affected by your message, whatever it might be, and is there anything you would like to change about that? If yes, you can. It is not easy to change direction, and it will not be quick, but you can do it. I did, and I continue to tweak my direction daily. With Jesus as the focus of my life, and a little help from my friends, I get by pretty well. 

I hope you are getting by pretty well today, friends, and that you have found the signs that give you positive direction in your life. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health.

*John 3:16 - For God so loved the world [that's you and me and everyone, for all time] that he gave his one and only Son [God had one kid, who was also God, and the Father gave that kid up] so that whoever believes in him [Jesus] would never die [die=be separated from God] but have eternal life [with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Heaven]. (All the words in brackets are mine. There is so much more to this message, even when life is hard...especially when life is hard. Ask me.)

It's a Life...

It's a Wonderful Life is one of my very favorite movies. I identify with George Bailey, a rule follower who does what needs to be done because somebody has to...even when he would rather somebody else do it. I have seen it so often that I sometimes skim past the opening scenes, when the Clarence the clock-maker is called in to get the rundown on who this George Bailey fellow is. But this morning, as I was going through photos to blog, I got to wondering what that conversation might be if Joseph were telling Clarence about Pretty.

Clarence: If I do well, will I get my wings?

Joseph: I suppose so, but this one could be a challenge.

Clarence: What do you mean? Is there something wrong with this gal?

Joseph: She is Pretty.

Clarence: Ummm, would you like me to clean your spectacles, Joseph? I am very good at cleaning spectacles. Perhaps I could earn my wings if I clean enough spectacles?

Joseph: No! She is called Pretty...pay attention to what happens here...

Clarence: Wait. Is she taking photos of her front porch?

Joseph: Not the porch, what's on the porch?

Clarence: A pumpkin...?

Joseph (slaps head in frustration): Okayyyy...there is a pumpkin, but what else do you see?

Clarence: Why is there winter-wear up against the pumpkin?

Joseph: Not just winter-wear...there are socks, too...she knits.

Clarence: Wait. She is taking pictures of knitwear...on the porch...who does that?

Joseph: Pretty does that. The neighbors have started to notice...

Clarence: Can I go back to the George guy?

Joseph (with a heavy sigh): You can do this. Here...let's look at something else.

Clarence: You mean she's a cat lady, too? A cat lady who knits? It really doesn't get more stereotypical than that...

Joseph: She only has two cats...

Clarence: Two is halfway to four, and four is halfway to eight. 

Joseph: Yes, but it's not about the cats. We just need an intervention with the knitting! She knits all the time! Her neighbors are talking. Her friends are talking. She is knitting at work! You have to get down there and save her from her obsession with the knitting!

So Clarence comes down, he talks to me about the yarn, and I knit him a hat while we sip hot, buttered rum by the fireplace. In the end, he returns to heaven with hats for Joseph and God, and they all decide that these are the best hats they have ever worn. The bells do not ring, and Clarence does not get his wings, but he does thank Pretty warmly for the hat...and he decides that perhaps wings are overrated. 

It would be a different movie, for sure. I would likely still watch it, with the cats...and maybe some knitting. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Unfinished

Yesterday, I was talking with a new friend, as one does when one makes new friends. This friend knows some of my story, of course, but I always struggle with how much of my story to share with new friends, and when. I am sure that we all have the same struggle, because we all come from some kind of crazy...sooo, how much crazy does one share at the first lunch?

In my experience, as of late, the first lunch is a perfect time to talk about struggles with food and other addictions...for me, that means all of the crafts! Hahaha! Yesterday was no exception, and my old quilting habit came to mind as we talked about the things we have started in our crafting rooms and never quite finished...like this piece:

You see, back in the mid-90s, I thought I was a quilter. Well, I was a quilter, I have made at least 5 honest-to-goodness quilts...with pieced top, a layer of batting and backing, all quilted (stitched) together and given as gifts. In recent years, I have made t-shirt quilts with fleece backing...super cozy, and less actual quilting required. The t-shirts were fun, and I will probably do more of those at some point, but my heart was really stolen by my first quilts and sewing projects early in my marriage. In 1997, I decided that I liked quilting so much that I would make a "signature quilt" to record family history and hang on the wall, and this is what I came up with:

I know. It is not hanging on the wall. It is not even finished. As a matter of fact, you can see that, while my intention was to stitch over all of the sharpie signatures, I fizzled out in the middle of my own name!

You can also see that green corduroy holds onto dust pretty securely. 

How can you wash an unfinished quilt that has been sitting, folded, on the banister for at least the last 10 years? That's right, you can't...at least not until someone finishes quilting my name...but I digress. That green corduroy was from a pair of overalls I stitched for a stuffed bear when the kids were small. The pink and blue sashing, where the names are signed, is from an Elvis quilt I made for my mother.

There are Elvis fabrics in there, too...Wal-Mart had a sale, and I bought 5 different fabrics for her quilt. Wal-Mart also sold gambling fabrics, which I used for my mother-in-law's quilt...she likes to go to Vegas.

One Christmas, I brought the quilt with me to the family gathering, and I got a lot of signatures...nephews (my kids' cousins):

Siblings, aunts, uncles:

And even my hubby's Grandmother, who was a crafter herself!

Fun fact, Grammie was the first person to teach me to knit. That lady will always hold a special place in my heart, and her handwritten name will always be on my quilt.

Circling back to the crazy of sharing over the first lunch with a new friend, the reason this quilt came up is that we were talking about all our stuff...you know, the stuff the kids will either want to keep or toss when we are gone, someday far down the road (I am sure). I have no way of knowing what their decisions will be, on this piece or any of my stuff, but I thought it would be nice to take some photos and tell the story of where this started anyway. Once upon a time, Mom thought it would be cool to have a permanent record of the family, in quilt form. Crazy? Maybe. Crafty? Definitely. Will she ever finish what she started? Only time will tell. Hmmm...I wonder if the story of the quilt can be finished if the quilt itself is not...? 

Stories of where we come from are cool. Knowing the players makes the stories better, and we are all writing a story with our lives every day. Some are sweet, some are crazy and some are tragic at times. Whatever your story is, remember that it is yours. The milestones, the memories, the mannerisms your family shares (or tries to overcome)...they are part of your story, and they shape who you are today. 

The greatest thing about your story is that you are in charge. Knowing where and who you come from is just the start of your story, but you have the power to really change it up as you go. So think about it: What is YOUR story? Does it need to change? How? What is one thing you can do today to start to make that change? Change is a challenge, to be sure, but you can do it. In fact, you are the only one who can change your story. Go for it!

That seems like enough photos and unsolicited advice from me today. If you read to the end, thanks for sticking around. Thanks for stopping by at all! I hope that your day is a good one, and I look forward to hearing more of your story.

Now, Knit in Good Health!