Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Tonight I decided it was time to pick up the pieces and move on.  Literally.  I found a bunch of little pieces, completed this Tree of Life Quilt Block and it felt good.

The past few weeks have been a bit of an emotional roller coaster:  Highs, lows, bad news, changes, surprises, and then more bad news that just left me devastated: A dear friend had ended her life. So the last week I haven’t stitched much.  I’ve cried. I’ve railed, I’ve ranted.  I’ve sorted, I’ve cleaned, I’ve organized.  All things I can do when my mind is numb.

It felt good to work on a project that represents the fact that life is still going on. It’s the 2nd block in a quilt I started recently that consists of blocks with Biblical significance.  I knew that making a quilt rooted in faith would be a great keepsake for my family, but already this block is special to me.

First, because there is just something about ripping up fabric into tiny pieces and seeing it take on new life, that does my heart good.  And I needed that tonight.  That tangible example of how life can get all ripped up and in pieces on the floor, and we’re not really sure what to do with the mess –  but somehow the miracle of needle and thread puts it back together again.  So, as I stitched those tiny little triangles and started fashioning it into a tree, I could see hope again.

My thoughts turned to all the things a tree represents to me: roots, family, refuge, a place to build a nest, something to hold onto during a storm, relief from blistering heat.

What could I remember about the tree of life from Bible stories?   I knew it was originally in the garden of Eden, but I seemed to remember that it was referenced in Revelation as well, so I looked it up. There it was in Revelation 22.  “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

So fitting that this was the block waiting for me to stitch tonight.  I wondered about my friend.  Had she found the tree of life and was it bringing the healing and rest she longed for?

I certainly believe so.  In fact, I can see her picking the fruit.

But until I meet her under that tree, I have this block to remind me that the tattered scraps we are left with can be put back together.