Friday, February 01, 2019

Encouraging Words

Encouraging words can and do change people's reactions and perspectives.  That is why I regularly participate in Friday Fave Fives with Susanne who hosts us. (Follow that link to find her blog and connect with other thankful people.)  This is why:

It is now Friday early afternoon and I am home from all my wanderings and appointments of the morning. 

As I was sitting in Bible Study, I was reflecting on my week and thinking, "What can I write about?  It was one of those weeks when stuff happened and I need to focus on the good things."  Then I noticed I had a message on my phone.  It was my (new) pastor's wife, just checking in and telling me she was praying for me today.  OK!  Right there--that should count for ALL.FIVE.FAVES for this week!  She remembered.  She prayed.  She cared.  She told me.  She encouraged me.

That caused me to pull out my pencil and notepad and write down all the other blessings that suddenly popped into my mind.

1.  Today I wore a vest I knitted last year.  It's not my favorite although I love the pattern.  I made it from a heavier yarn and it just doesn't fit me right.  But.  Several people complimented me on how lovely it is.  Maybe it looks better than I thought...


photos of the detailed cables on the back of the vest



2.  World's Best Neighbor has a tiny patch of rhubarb in her garden.  She shared some with me and I baked a strawberry rhubarb crisp.  YUM!


3.  I finished weaving another scarf this week.  Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE weaving on my Cricket rigid heddle loom?  (photos soon!  I am in the process of blocking it.)

4.  Some younger women at church have expressed interest in learning to sew.  I offered to teach some hand sewing basics, and we started this week.  Something as simple as sewing a straight seam is bringing me so much joy.  I get to teach.  I get to become better friends with these young women.

5.  Apologies to all of you who are in very very cold places.  Including my daughters.  Here in Southern California, we are all excited about the rain.  It rained one day this week.  And we are going to get more rain starting tonight!  Maybe finally our decade of drought is ending!

10 comments:

Faith said...

That vest reminds me of the ones my mom used to make in the 1970s....they were all the rage here on the East Coast....i remember she made me a burnt orange one that I wore ALL THE TIME! hahah.... Yours is very pretty..i love that color.

How wonderful to teach sewing to the younger women. That's def a skill i do NOT have.

I love crisps but I actually do not like rhubarb...my mom used to make rhubarb pie and we had it growing wild at our ADK camp. I'm allergic to strawberries. So i make apple crisp and blueberry crisp :)

Yay that you got some rain! and yay that our temps here in NYS are supposed to start going up again this weekend.

ENjoy the weekend!

Mereknits said...

You are so lovely to teach people to sew, a skill we should all know. I think your vest is gorgeous. Wear it with pride.

Misa said...

Hi, my name is Misa. I appreciate your post is nice. Btw, I will share 3 articel about my trip in Indonesia from my blogfor you.

- Transit 19 Jam di Malaysia, Ngapain Aja
- Seharian Jadi Anak Pantai
- Berburu Bintang Bersama HAAJ

Hope you like. Regrads Misa

Wendy said...

That is a lovely vest with an intricate pattern. Your crafting skills are really good especially if you enjoy teaching others. I'm glad your Pastor's wife thought of you, encouragement is always a good thing. Enjoy your rain. We had a bit of snow but it didn't last.

Barbara H. said...

Yay for the rain! That vest is lovely! I admire your skills. So glad you have an opportunity not only to share your expertise but to teach and build relationships with these women. What great encouragement from your pastor's wife.

Gattina said...

The pattern is real pretty ! I never got into this not even sewing a button ! I did it because I had too but it alwys took a looong time before I did it !

BTW the night glasses you can get on Internet easily. The opticians here asked 60 Euros for one pair, and I paid 15 !!! That's a big difference.

Misa said...

Nice post. By the way I also will share 3 articel about my trip from my blog.

- Transit 19 Jam di Malaysia, Ngapain Aja?
- Seharian Jadi Anak Pantai
- Berburu Bintang Bersama HAAJ

Hope you like. Regrads Misa.

Dianna said...

What a lovely list of blessings, Willow. What a thoughtful pastor's wife you have. Very special that she let you know that you were covered by her prayers. And that vest is beautiful! You do such excellent work. There is another blogger that I've become friends with who knits also. https://www.pumpkinsunrise.com/ Every Wednesday she posts about what the projects are that she is working on. I think you would enjoy her. And what a blessing that you are able to teach these younger women to sew...makes me smile because of how Biblical that is! YOU are the encourager there. Have a lovely week!

ellen b. said...

Yippee for the rain! It's great to follow through with encouragement. I like that idea of you sharing your skills with younger gals. So Biblical, :).
It's good to use your gifts. Hope this week is starting well.

Tracy said...

Hi, Willow! So good to catch up with you... I'm just surfacing after being down with the flu, so nice to be back in blogland! :) LOVE your knitted vest--gorgeous texture, and color too! And such fun with your teaching sewing!! Weaving is something I wouldn't mind trying... a lap loom might be something... hhhmmm... Thank you for sharing your blessings with us! :) ((HUGS))