It's been a "crafty" day today........

Today I spent the better part of the day making some special things for my grandchildren.  The end result is that I have several sore fingers and a good sized blister on my pinkie finger from my scissors. However I did actually complete my presents and I am quite proud of them.  This is not the usual way that I spend a day, but quite honestly, I loved it.  That reminded me of this ornament.  I still have several of this set of ornaments that I actually made in 1973 when Ken and I were engaged.  I cut the felt, sewed them together, sewed on the sequins and stuffed them.  This bell has been one of my favorites always.  Hard to believe that these are 40 years old. 

Over the past years of my adult life I have made more than my fair share of crafty projects.  Most had something to do with the children I was working with.  Like the year I decided it would be a good idea to spray paint white poster board stars with silver and gold..... That would be the year that I spray painted my kitchen curtains!  Yeah, that didn't work out so well.  However, those stars looked amazing in the Sunday school Christmas program.  I still have one of those stars in my ornament box.  I decided NOT to hang it on the tree this year.  I have cut out more advent candles from felt than I can count.  And more felt holly pieces as well.  Many years I recruited my mom to help me cut out and assemble various projects when she was here visiting over Thanksgiving.  She actually started to expect this and even said it wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving unless we had some kind of craft project to cut and/or assemble. 

My scrapbooking has sort of filled the void left by my lack of children's programs over the last 5 or so years.  And while this does require some of the same skills and thought process, it really is not the same.  I have been happy to be back in the crafting mode since I started working with preschoolers again.  Just last week, while attending that fancy women's dinner, I glanced down at my hands and noticed that I had blue paint under my fingernails.  And it made me smile! 

So this year I am celebrating "craftiness" and paper and glue and glitter and scissors and paint and color crayons and markers.  And most of all, I am celebrating the wonderful feeling that comes from creating a hand made gift for someone you love.  You just might want to try it! 

Jesus, thank you for reminding me about the things that are really important.  Holy Spirit, thank you for the joy and freedom and laughter of children.  Thank you for my job and the wonder of working again with little children.  Holy Spirit, bring us all back to the basic of gift giving.  Help us all to look for ways to create and bring joy to others with our own hands.  Jesus, thank you for loving the little children and blessing them.  Amen