I can remember the number of times in my life when I felt called to an item. This happened the first time I saw the quilt “Full Bloom” by Fourth & Sixth Designs. It was October of 2019, I was in the mountains of Colorado on vacation. My husband and I went into a quilt shop. As I walked up the stairs, I looked over at the wall and gasped! It was beautiful. A long story short is that I walked out with the promise of a quilt block a month in the mail for 9 months. It is not lost on me that is the same length of time as pregnancy.
I went home, ended up moving, starting as the pastor of a new church, and buying our first home all before the year of 2019 ended. As I got each package in the mail, I put them together hoping that someday I would be able to work on it. Little did I know how soon that day would be.
March of 2020 came and with it a global pandemic. It had made it to Nebraska and with it, we were given stay-at-home orders. All church meetings went to zoom. We were able to have worship in person with 5 of us together. But a lot of my interactions were over zoom. So, I set up my computer in the sewing room and got to work. What started as 9 packages with fabric, glue, papers, and a pattern soon became a promise. What you see in the picture above is what I call my covid quilt.
It came to life in the midst of a global pandemic and if truth be told it helped me keep my sanity. From tracing, cutting, gluing, sewing, tearing away paper, and quilting I came up with creative solutions to church questions. It gave me space to figure out the steps as the church jumped forward in technology. I talked about racism. I learned about others cultures. I studied the Bible and talked about how current events and faith connect. I attended meetings. I even connected with friends and family on the computer. I lived the life that unfolded and this extreme extrovert kept going with a smile and a promise of hope.
My quilt is almost done. I have two more borders to do and then I will bind it. To most people it is just a really pretty quilt, to me, it is a sign of the resurrection of the Lord. It brought me hope and color in times of uncertainty and fear. The different colors of the thread reminded me of how God brings us together in all our differences. It helped me stay connected to the Lord. My mom saw it and said, “It was cheaper than therapy” because when she looked at it she knew it had kept me grounded.
As we prepare this year for Easter, I want to invite you to share your stories and your art. What kept you going in the middle of this global crisis? Do you have a gift you like to share with others during their hard times? What do you have that grounds you to the resurrection promise of the Lord? I would love to hear your stories. Thank you for taking the time to learn about mine. –Pastor TAZ
Pastor TAZ 