I mentioned yesterday that my sister wanted to make an afghan for her granddaughter. I tried to show her how to get started on facetime the other night. (I also spent an hour on facetime a few weeks ago trying to show her how to get started. She just can't understand it). I asked her to watch a video of this pattern that I am currently using. You Tube is awesome for showing in slow motion how to create things. She went out and bought her yarn - red and black very thick blanket yarn - and the other night we tried to get it started. She gave up and asked if I would get it started for her and she would take it over. Fine. So she was going to ship her yarn to me to get it started - which seemed silly, so I told her I'd just buy the skein here (she had sent me a photo so that I could see what she had) and do a few rows and send to her.
Oh.My.Goodness. For someone experienced, this yarn would be nothing. First of all, I ended up going to Hobby Lobby, and two Michaels before I found the yarn she was using. Yes, of course I bought more yarn for me while I was there. Silly thought! I never did find any red, but at the last place I stopped I found a skein of black. Looking at it, it takes a size M hook. That's a big hook - as it should be because this yarn is about 4 times bigger than the yarn I usually use. Yeah, that's what I mean. For someone experienced with this yarn it would be nothing for them to crochet with it. But I haven't used it before and had some difficulty with it. BUT, I did get three rows completed and sent her a text that it was done as far as I was going to go.... and told her how big it was width wise to work with. She actually asked me if that was too short and should it be wider... in other words, from stretched out hand to the other stretched out hand wasn't wide enough for her, she wanted it bigger. So I calmly responded back that I was NOT going to tear it out and do it over and make it wider.... when she receives it, if it is not as wide as she wants, she can tear it out and make it herself. She retracted her words somewhat. I'm not telling you this to cause an issue, but to use it as an example.
When you ask someone to do something for you, and they agree to do it to help you out, don't criticize the way they do it. If you don't like the way they do it, wait until it is completed, and you may be surprised how it came out. And if you still don't like it, then tear it out and make your own.
This person has not learned crochet and is just learning how to do it. I'm still puzzled why this type of yarn - other than it has 'blanket' on it - is what she chose. Not my business. I did three rows and stopped. I'm not going to make it for her as I am still working on an afghan - with regular yarn that goes much faster - for my boss. I'm glad to help her, but I am also so inexperienced with crocheting... I haven't done it that long and I still make a lot of mistakes. And I probably did within those three rows - but because it is black and thick, it kind of blends together. I'm thinking it should have been knitted, or a different pattern chosen. I only know two stitches in crochet - granny stitch and the V stitch. But I'm sending it to her and she can do what she wants with it.
Today is Sunday and currently we are planning a quiet day. I need to work on my message cause I speak next Sunday. The layperson called me yesterday to get the title and scriptures. Now I'm committed. LOL I'm about a third of the way into it, I would say. Need to focus this afternoon and get it finished. The rest of the week will be reviewing, making changes, and figuring out other things to put in or take out. I'm hoping the swelling is gone from my big toe so that I can wear shoes.
Met my girlfriend for lunch yesterday. She is so crazy funny. Yes, literally both. She was afraid she wouldn't see me for Christmas so brought me a beautiful candy dish for Christmas, a Christmas platter filled with oatmeal raisin cookies (nearly all gone and yes, I shared) and bought my lunch yesterday. It almost got testy when we sat down. She started in, 'have you heard that..... and I'm so excited'.... I l just looked at her and said I was surprised she would vote for someone whose party is in favor of abortions... she gave me a deer in the headlight look and said 'oh that', well, he's catholic. (what does that mean?) After a few more things back and forth, I just told her quit listening to the media and we had better stop and agree to disagree because I loved her and valued our friendship. After a few more comments from her and my telling her to stop, we finally moved on to other topics. I really am shocked to hear her reason why she voted that way.... she based it on things that were said about the President during the first election and that he didn't respect women. People's minds are so messed up. I'm so grateful God doesn't hold my past against me. I still have faith that God's will will prevail. If He has chosen this one to be president, He will get us through this. I just continue to pray that what has been hidden will be brought out in the open. I'm not getting involved in discussions, I'm not arguing with others. I did my part; I voted. I can't help what the others did, nor can I change now what the results will be. I can only trust God to help us through whichever one wins the presidency.
I re-read Isaiah 45 this morning. What took me back to it? I was reading in Daniel and in the first chapter it said that Daniel served the king until the first year of King Cyrus. Cyrus, that is what Lance Wallneau calls our current president. And, he pulled it from Isaiah 45. It's actually interesting. Take some time to read it.
My heart is troubled over these times, as I knew it would be. I still believe that God is in charge and that if this other party has committed fraud, that God will either reveal it, or He will allow it. It's not my call either way. I can only pray. But what troubles me is that people have started to share things on facebook (you know it's true if it's on facebook - NOT)..... a friend of mine, who was licensed as a minister and is serving in music ministry at a Mennonite church in Sunnyslope, made some critical statements about 'false prophets' and people believing them. Yes, false prophets will rise up in the end times, and we are definitely in the end times right now. It hurt my heart to read his criticism... this man alienated many people at a church he had been at previously because of his criticism and sarcasm. Those who spoke may have been false prophets, putting out there what we wanted to hear, I don't know. But it isn't over yet. Yes, my fear is that they were false prophets. I believed them. It's not on me, it is on them if they are false.
The end result is that God is to be glorified in all of this. No matter what the results are going to end up being, no matter who wins, God should be OUR focus. I'm trying hold on to that. It's a struggle sometimes so I have quit reading those things on facebook. I have quit watching the news. Burying my head in the sand? Perhaps. It will be what it will be. I will know the end result come January. In the meantime, we have a president and it is not me. I put my fear of the unknown in God's hands, and release it. I refuse to worry about something that I have no control over. I did my part. I voted. That's all I was asked to do. Oh. and pray. and trust. God's got this. I'm putting it all in His hands. He alone will be glorified. At least by me.
It's kind of like buying yarn. There are so many different styles of yarn, did you know that? There is a rough yarn, there is a soft yarn. There is acrylic, wool, cotton, polyester, and many others. There is thick yarn, and thin yarn. There are many different sizes of hooks to work with each of them, and the results will vary, depending on the yarn you use and the hook you use. And whether you knit it or crochet or tat or whatever else you can do with yarn.
Just like us. We are all different. Within my own family we are different. Some are strong. Some are courageous. Some are indifferent. Some are thin. Some are heavy. Some like to be busy creating things. Some like to curl up with a good book. Some like to cook. Some like to eat what's cooked. Some are very intelligent. Some not so much.
and you know what? Jesus loves each one of us, just the way we are. He doesn't ask us to change BEFORE he will accept us, He will accept us just as we are. He loves us that much, that He doesn't ask us to change before we can come to Him. You will find that you love Him so much that You will want to change to be more like Jesus.
Think about it. It's not hard. Just ask Jesus to help you find your way to Him. He will change you from the inside out.
Blessings!
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