Mōrena
A few days ago I received an unexpected windfall. One of my friends had had a death in her family and was helping to clear out her relative’s house. They came across her stash of embroidery threads, accumulated over the years, as the lady was a keen cross stitcher. Knowing that I am also a cross stitcher, my friend contacted me and asked if I would like them.
Of course I gratefully said “yes please!” and duly took delivery of the three big boxes. What a treasure trove! There were hundreds of them in all shades, some neatly catalogued and others piled up in like-colour boxes. I was overwhelmed – there were more than I could possibly use no matter how enthusiastically I sewed.
Tempting though it was to keep them (I could happily spend hours sorting them into the specially designed thread boxes on cardboard bobbins and never have to buy another thread again!) in the end I decided I couldn’t do that. Instead I suggested to my workmate that I take them along and offer them to others at the “Wellington Stitchy Get Together Day” on Saturday. This is an enthusiastic group of stitchers who meet to share tips and frustrations, display our “works in progress” and generally have a good time as we sew and chat.
We will put out a box for gold coin donations for the threads, which can then be passed on to my friend’s family to help with funeral expenses. In the meantime her family can also have the satisfaction of knowing that their relative’s threads are being used appreciatively and creatively to make lots more cross stitch works of art. It seems like a good thing to do.
On Sunday we will hear another story of abundance and mortality in the form of “The Parable of the Rich Fool”. We will pause for a while, to reflect on how we would like to approach our use of the generous resources we have received, as an expression of our values and priorities.
Fiona
You can read the full E-News here: https://mailchi.mp/5bb4b25ede1a/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-9165371
