Thunder and Lightning Block
The scripture passage has the children of Israel trembling in their camp. Mount Sinai is shaking. Thunder and lightning, smoke, and trumpet blasts are radiating from the mountain because God is there. He has called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses goes into the heat and fire to meet with God. I’m glad Moses “goes for it” because he returns with the two tablets of stone. We have the Ten Commandments.
Can I just say here that I think Moses is beyond amazing? I’d be hiding under my quilt in my tent.
But as I think about it, God calls us too. Living in the age of grace, we are gently drawn to Him with the help of the Holy Spirit. But we have to remember God’s awesome and terrible power. Proverbs 1 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”. Rather than be afraid of Him, we can respect His omnipotence.
When I’m choosing the fabric and layout for each block, I’m considering the block’s name and how best to convey it with my choices. I think that’s the favorite part of the process for me.
Imagine thunder and lightning: first comes the BOOM, followed by a flash, then the jagged bolts of electricity find their ground. I chose the white center to symbolize the BOOM. Then the flashes radiate from that boom, and are finally ringed by the bolts.
As I sew, (and these blocks take a long time), I think of the original creators of these old blocks. What was their story?
I love the history of things. When I was growing up, I consumed the LHOP books. I immersed myself in the world of Little Women and all of the books LM Alcott wrote for girls. I ddevoured all of LM Montgomery’s books, and later, Jane Austen’s.
I embraced the moral lessons preached in these books. They were affirming to my own life choices. I am loathe to admit that I was a bit of a goodie-two-shoes. I identified with Laura’s older sister, Mary. I chose the meek Beth to be my heroine in Little Women. And I resonated with Diana, the gentle kindred spirit, in Avonlea.
But if I could go back and meet with my childhood self, I would say, “Relax!” I would encourage that shy and circumspect girl to summon up the courage to take the risk of challenges and just go for it. I would tell her that if she fails, so what? She’ll live. And life would be much more thrilling and adventurous.
But I can only move forward. There’s a thoughtful reason why I named this blog “Cuts With Scissors”. It gives a nod to “Running With Scissors”, which to me, means, “Go for it”. And if I get injured in the process, I’ll live. I definitely was NOT that kid that ran with scissors. I looked and never leapt. I was the rule follower to a “T”. I got good grades in school except for the “Participates in Class” mark. The teachers didn’t know I was intently participating; I just didn’t show it on the outside.
So starting a blog has been a huge step for me. Thank you for being so supportive. What was I afraid of? This is FUN and I’ve learned something that Lucy Maud Montgomery already knew:
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”
Cuts With Scissors 