Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement Peace Beyond Understanding As we approach the end of another turbulent year, we can see a lot in this world to distress us. The world offers us plenty to complain about, worry about, distrust, and agonize over. Weather conditions destroy. Disease harms. Accidents happen. People disappoint us, hurt us,

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement The Christmas Miracle I wonder how many recognized the miracle of Jesus that very first Christmas. From the Bible, we know that the shepherds on a nearby hillside did. They noted an unusual star and followed it to find and worship the Christ child in a manger. Some wise

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement Christmas Carols Each Christmas Carol we sing has a story about its origin, about its meaning. Each time we sing our favorites, our spirits soar and our hearts rejoice in the amazing, wondrous, earth changing event of the birth of Jesus Christ. If you have been blessed with a

Mary’s Mondays Musings to Quilt Encouragement Musicians The people who performed the Handbell Consort we attended were amazingly active during the concert. At various points they traded places with one another to shake a different size bell and gently strum out distinctive sounds at just the right place in the musical piece. The sheer muscle

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement Handbells Consort I had attended handbell concerts before with a small number of bells and people involved and thoroughly enjoyed them, but nothing prepared me for the concert I enjoyed recently. There were five or six tables with more than 100 bells lined up on them, ranging from quite

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement Old Love There is a special tenderness in the love of a couple, still alive and in love after decades piled upon decades. The touch of two hands, the exchange of a smile, a head resting against a shoulder all silently speak of a depth beyond the outward action.

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement Young Love The young couple gazed into one another’s eyes so absorbed in the excitement of young love they were hardly aware of any one around. Somehow, the delight of young lovers with each other opens a glimpse into the love of God. Somehow, when we are wrapped in

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement God’s Love How can we, mere mortals, convey the quality, the quantity, the magnitude, and depth of God’s love? We can look up love in the thesaurus. We can use the fanciest, biggest words we know for love. We can observe magnificent scenery He made, draw hearts, or paint

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement Little Ones’ Love Is there anything more endearing than a small child running full tilt to hug you around the knees? What about a little one throwing young arms around your neck for a big squeeze? There’s no mistaking the love behind these gestures. Most children are open about

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement Heavy? Difficult? A large rack of antlers on the head of a moose or a deer is an awesome sight. From our point of view, they look heavy and even awkward for maneuvering in forests. But the moose or deer don’t wonder about their antlers. They just accept them