The writing's on the wall (or... door)

I have been meaning to show you something since Epiphany.... I have no good reason for putting off posting it, but here it is:


In our efforts to make Christmas simpler, Patrick and I decided to make gifts for each other this year.

Now, I'm not very crafty, or sew-y, but I can do a little bit of each. Here is my attempt at something for my dear, hardworking (dare I say, overworked?) husband. He slaves away so Noah and I can play all day (well, that is, stay at home together)!

This wall-hanging is now proudly found on our bedroom door. As you can see, it spells the word "love" -- all from repurposed fabric which had interesting purposes to begin with.

The letter "l" is from a fabric scrap of one of the first dresses I ever made.

I was in grade 5, I was taking sewing lessons, and wearing ankle-length spaghetti strap dresses over ribbed long-sleeve tees was all the rage (what?! I was born to be a homeschooling mother, what with such a uniform!). So I made such a dress for myself. I remember making it, and wearing it, and thinking I was like, soooooo grown up (I also began using the word "like" -- defying all rules of grammar -- back then; this was perhaps in my attempt to seem "grown up". Ouch).

With that desire to "be" grown up, I had secret wishes, hopes, dreams. I wanted to write, I wanted to do something artsy, I wanted to see new places and go to university (yes, I really fantasized about this even before my teen years), and most of all, I wanted to be a wife and mother.

It seems fitting, then, to include this fabric scrap on my gift to Patrick; our marriage is the fulfillment of that childhood dream.

The letter "o" comes from a scrap of my bridesmaids' dresses from our wedding.

This represents all the hopes I had for myself on my wedding day, as well as the prayerful support of the women who stood for me on that day.

The "v" is from the maternity shirt I wore the night I went into labour.

All those months of waiting, all the anticipation, all the prayers and sacrifices both Patrick and I made in preparation for the most exhilarating night of our lives.

The "e" is from one of Noah's first sleepers.

Thus, with each letter, and with each new phase in my life, my love for Patrick has grown.

Oh, also, you might notice there is some silvery writing on the outside of the frame. It is the words of 1 Corinthians 13.

Simple, yes, but made with love.

Every time I walk upstairs in our little apartment now, I see it, and I'm pleased that I don't see where my top-stitching went awry, or where the ink where I had written out the Scripture verses blurred a bit. Rather, I see a little reminder to be more present, more loving, and more grateful for the love Patrick has shown me, and the awesome Love God is, revealing Himself in simple beautiful ways in our family life.