{i n h a b i t} a celebration home

We’re filling mouths with food and the space between us with words and I pause between bites and spill…a shy gush of pictures, dreams of a Christmas that is different – S L O W – and a tree, reborn, that tells the story. A purposeful pause to remember. And he listens and smiles that smile that tells me he knows me. With dinner done, we wrestle her into long pajamas, adventure through a book and whisper bedtime prayers. I tug the blanket to her chin – the one I dreamed beneath as a child – and step out of the darkness of her room into quiet. The clock announces the night is young. Where to begin? I mumble to him that I’m not entirely sure…but entirely determined. So the search begins and just as I’m losing steam, I find the sketches – a simple work in black and white. And my imagination flickers. These were meant for paper, but what if I…

{  sketches by Reformed Church Press }

The making is long and fragmented. A few stitches here and there scattered across the night hours in short snatches of time. It fills the in between space. I pick it up and put it down…pick it up and put it down…again and again, watching the clock and the calendar and willing my fingers to take flight. But mostly, I REMEMBER, which somehow surprises even me. I never expected to encounter Holiness in this hoop. Night after night, stitch by stitch, the sacred story comes alive in these tired, clumsy hands.

I work one stitch at a time, under a silver moon in the dim lamplight, the cadence of him reading by my side. The pause in his rhythm and the question – Which one tonight? – usually comes, and I offer up the soft stack, without words. None are needed. The story is his story too – our roots and our wings – where we came from and where we’re going. Redemption and promise in our hands, soon on our tree, and perhaps, eventually on these walls – a retelling of our story in color and cotton.

How are YOU…

capturing time

filling your table

making memories

weaving rituals

creating warmth

encouraging deep roots

nurturing creativity

being fully present

and learning to fully inhabit the space you call home?

There are several ways to participate.

(1) Comment and tell us what “inhabit” means to you this week.

(2) Leave a link to a relevant post on your blog. You may craft a special post or link to one in your archives. Kindly provide a link back here to make for an easy meandering through the posts.

(3) Link to a relevant Flickr image that shows what “inhabit” means to you.

If you need further clarification, this post explains a bit more.

If you’d like a graphic for your {i n h a b i t} post, you’re welcome to use the one below but it is certainly not required. Enjoy your weekend, my friends . . .
S L O W L Y.

 
 **POST UPDATE: Comments to this post are closed but we would love for you to add your comment / link when we gather again for {i n h a b i t} next Friday, November 26th.