The photo of the La Salette Shrine that Jim posted for you to see in yesterday’s blog post has been added as a screen saver to my computer. The lights are much more impressive, seen in a larger scale. The one set of lights that call to me, as a beacon, are turquoise lights arranged in the shape of an anchor, right next to the word “Hope.”
The anchor has been a recurrent design in needlework history, particularly in Victorian Redwork, in Crazy Quilts.
At the present time, I am working on a piece of Outline Stitch embroidery, in various colors, that is, in fact, a free design on my website. There is a cross, a heart, an anchor, and green ivy leaves. Historically, the color green has symbolically represented hope and eternal life.
Anyone is free to interpret the nineteenth century design, as they wish. From my Catholic upbringing, I would think that the heart represents the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Cross is self-explanatory. He is often referred to as an anchor, in times of trouble, probably not a recent concept, by all indications.
We all need anchors in our lives, for without them, we can become adrift and disoriented in a sea of choices and vulnerabilities. For some of us, our anchor is our family. In other cases, our families have become displaced from us, geographically speaking, and while they love us, it is not possible for them to be in contact with us, on a daily basis.
Some people think that money is an anchor. While having wealth or assets is not a bad thing in itself, we are told that the “love of money” is not a good thing, and is, in fact, “the root of all evil.”
When money becomes more important than other people, then it is a driving force than can be detrimental to us, psychologically and spiritually. I don’t want to seem preach-y. That is not my intention at all. I just think a lot about human nature and how people conduct their lives, and the impact that their decisions have on them.
The human condition is such that we feel so incomplete within ourselves, we are always reaching to a higher power, either to thank or to place blame, perhaps, for the situations we find ourselves in.
Ironically, when cultures (or people) clash, it is sometimes due to fervent religious beliefs, on both sides. We do not have to look far to think of examples of that. People have been fighting about religion for as long as such an institution existed.
Often, human beings would rather point out differences than try to find any points in common. That’s just the way it is.
To get back to my original question, what are the anchors in your own life? Do you have certain habits that are comforting, such as reading a book, taking a walk, or enjoying a hot fudge sundae? Do you feel the need to attend religious services, and if so, do they “center your life”? Do you find comfort in the day to day work of running a house, caring for aged relatives, or working in a paid position for other people? Are you surrounded by friends, or by constant activity that helps you not to think about the greater meaning of life? Quilting, done alone, affords a lot of time to consider the nature of life and its meaning.
We all define the parameters of our own lives, but somewhere, there has to be an anchor, lest we be cut adrift on a sea of woes with no one, and nothing, to pull us back to shore. I have come to think that there is comfort in being a person of faith. Most quilters I know do live by three precepts: faith, hope, and charity. God bless the quilters!
Those are my thoughts, today. Now to go back to my quilting project!
Patricia
