Ups and Downs in 2010

2010 is coming to a close and what's a blog for if not to share some reflections about the last year?  I thought I remembered making some resolutions, but according to my blog I did not.  I did, however have a few goals that I ended up working toward, and so I'll incorporate those into the following bullet-point list of 2010 highs and lows.
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Bigger and Badder (Blankets)

And now for the opposite of cholera and political unrest... babies and knitting!  I recently finished my fourth variation on a the Big Bad Baby Blanket (BBBB as its called in the blogsphere).  I originally tried my hand at the pattern back in college, when I was looking through my trusty Stitch 'n Bitch* book and decided that I wanted to try something harder than a scarf.  That first BBBB came out well, but unfortunately it fell prey to mice while it awaited a baby recipient.  Nonetheless, I was hooked on that pattern - it produces a big sturdy blanket (usually around 3x3) that is double knit and durable.  If you use different colored yarns knit together it produces beautiful patterns. 

My second attempt at the BBBB ended up as a baptism present for Kyle, the son of my friends Sara and Aron.  This time I used a sturdy baby yarn in blue and green.  It was machine washable of course, because I do not believe in giving new parents hand-wash only baby creations.  This project ended up being an exercise in letting go of my need for perfection, because I ran out of yarn and couldn't get more in time - so it ended up being rectangular and asymmetrical.  I was pretty happy with the results. The green and blue looked pretty together and it was still a pretty good sized blanket.  

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More Bad News from Haiti

As I'm following the news on Haiti I have been reflecting on the difference between a step in faith and a step in foolishness.  Sometimes they are the same thing, but does that necessarily mean that a risk is always what God wants?  For me it comes down to trying to discern what God trying to say to me... and I'm inclined to worry that my own wants or fears are influencing my discernment.  When I decided to go to Haiti I worried that my sense of "call" was really my desire to do something adventurous, but then things fell into place so easily and it just felt right.  Now, when things are looking much worse in Haiti I am eager to make sure that my discernment is not weighed down by fear.  

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Seeking Advent(ure) in Haiti

Over the past week I have encountered Isaiah 40:1-11 a few different times in various devotionals.  This is a pretty standard passage for the beginning of Advent, but this scripture is jumping out at me in new ways as I prepare for my trip to Haiti this week.  Advent means "coming."  It is the season in which we remember the coming of God incarnate in Jesus, we prepare our hearts to welcome Christ in our midst, and we look forward to the future restoration of the world.  Isaiah's "voice crying out in the wilderness" reminds us of this future reality.  And if there is a people on this earth who understand the impact of massive landscape change (physical, emotional and cultural), if there are people who know the fragility of life, if anyone is in need of comfort, embrace and the promise of restoration, it is the people of Haiti.  

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