I’ve been knitting a lot recently, and I do mean, A LOT. It’s been a really tough season full of grief and anxiety, and it’s been hard to shut off my mind. When my hands are at work though, it helps to quiet my anxious thoughts. The feeling of the soft fiber passing gently through my busy fingers helps ground me in the moment I’m in instead of allowing my mind to spin or dwell on things I can’t control or change. Watching beautiful and useful creations take shape on my needles is so satisfying, as is wearing clothes I made slowly with my own hands. It can also be such a prayerful activity. My quieter, more focused mind helps guide my heart into prayer, and if I’m knitting something for someone else, I say little prayers for them as I work the pattern. Having this hobby has been especially useful in the bitterly cold months of winter that cover my garden with many layers of snow. I’m thankful for the changes of the seasons and the restful work I’ve found during this one. 

My littlest goddaughter was baptized on January 1st, and her patron is Saint Maria of Paris. The icon I gave her for her baptism is by a dear friend who makes beautiful icons and shows St. Maria holding embroidery. It’s such a sweet detail. St. Maria poured out her life for others, loving Christ in the people around her, ultimately being killed in a Nazi concentration camp because of her saintly work. She was also a gifted embroiderer. I love knowing this about her and picturing her carefully embroidering. I wonder what it meant to her to have that quiet, slow, beautiful work to turn to in all the turmoil and grief she experienced throughout her life. 

If you’re also going through a painful season, full of difficulties you can’t control, what is something creative and beautiful you can do that will help ground you in the present moment and carve out more space for prayer? 

Image by Kurtis Johnson