Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer: Matthew 6:33, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Welcome back! Are you settling back into a normal rhythm now that the holiday rush has faded? One of my favorite parts of the year is that quiet 'in-between' week from Christmas to New Year’s. For me, it’s a time for rest and reflection. After being "freed" from quaranting in my bedroom, I'm eager to get settled back into my home office. However, I decided to leave my devotional materials in the cozy corner I created in my bedroom. I managed to tick off most of my goals, finish two great audiobooks, and watched a couple of movies. This week, I’m taking a short break from our study of Psalms to share some thoughts on one of those films. I’d love to hear your perspective in the comments!

Sadly, many people I care deeply about have lost loved ones in the recent past. My heart goes out to you. You remain in my prayers.

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say,

"Make memories; it's later than you think."

HERE'S A WORD

I seem to be experiencing several "God winks" (some call these coincidences) lately. As I select books and movies, I’ve noticed that—despite it not being mentioned in the synopsis—a death invariably occurs. I’ve learned to prayerfully seek the lesson God wants me to learn from these experiences. One such time was while watching the movie, Sparks: The Ken Sparks Story. He was a college football coach who lived out Matthew 6:33: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This coach lived this verse and taught his players to do the same.

Sparks was diagnosed with Stage Four prostate cancer—the same disease that took my Daddy. When Sparks' son told his father he was struggling to deal with his dying, Sparks responded that dying wasn't something he was going to do, but "something I get to do." Imagine that!

As I am typing this, I've wondered, "What verse could have lead Sparks to say that with such joy?" After a bit of research, I found these verses. I have no idea if these were what inspired Sparks, but perhaps you might find them comforting?

Please know this:
You are loved. You are not alone. You are being lovingly prayed for.

FIBER FUN

I broke down my "To Dos" into three categories: Finish, Focus, Prep/make a kit, and Be Kind = Soft Deadlines. FoF represents the Fields of Fancy BOM, which I'm doing with Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics. FBF represents the Flower Box Friends BOM

Last Week's List

1. Finish - no finishes planned

2. Focus -

- FoF BOM: While I’d love to be appliquéing one Acufactum hexie and binding another as I used to do, I’m setting a more realistic goal for now: I'll focus on getting one bound and getting a head start on the appliqué for the next I did get a bit of stitching accomplished. It was nice to play with the Liberty of London fabrics again.

- Gengar cross stitch - finish another 15% Sort of done...I had to frog yet again. I was frustrated until I went to my Grief Support Group where I learned focus can be an issue. Imagine that. They called it "grief fog". Just the same, a bit of progress was made.

- QAYG quilt - finish stitching the row I'm currently connecting Done! It's about 46" long and 9" wide.

As I was stitching, I noticed my first stitches were a bit loose. I'm going back over them because I think this will affect the integrity of the construction. It's amazing how our skills improve over the years!

- FBF:

3. Prepare/make a kit

After shopping my stash, I’ve decided to make a Disappearing Nine Patch quilt. This week, I’m hoping to begin cutting into these fabrics. The teal one will be the main fabric and the pink will be the center patch. Done! I cut out all the squares in about 45 minutes thanks to my Stripology ruler!

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

This Week's goals

1. Finish - no finishes planned

2. Focus -

- FoF BOM: finish binding the above hexie and start on the appliqué for the next

- Gengar cross stitch - fingers crossed - finish another 15%

- QAYG quilt - find the loosey-goosey joining stitches and reinforce them; this will take a bit to finish

- FBF:

3. Prepare/make a kit

Do some new year organziation in my sewing room - I don't dare show you the before pictures!

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

LITERARY LIFE

MAILBOX MONDAY - is a gathering place for readers to share books that they added to their shelves or eBook readers the previous week. Some of these books were recommended by you! Do you see your reads below? Thank all of you for sharing!

Here's what I've picked up this week.

ereaderiq.com I'm starting to post these titles on Instagram on the day I acquire them as the deals are short-term.

Hoopla: None

Kindle Freebies: None

Libby: (Audiobooks)

NetGalley: None

Purchased: None

PaperbackSwap: None

****** Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor is an absolutely phenomenal account of Aunt Em’s life right before she meets Uncle Henry. It tells of the early years of their marriage, her complicated relationship with her sister, and the difficulties of farming during the Dust Bowl. Most importantly, Em discovers what truly defines "home." Highly recommend. On a side note: if you know a farmer or a farming family, give them a big hug and show them great kindness. Their lives are difficult and their hearts are golden.

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in every life. She also provides a weekly prompt for us to use. This week's prompt is: Do you like calendars either desk or wall real calendars? My go-to calendar is on my phone. I use Happy Planners for my blogging planners. Connie at Freemotion Quilting provides some free, useful calendars as well as free tutorials.

I’ve decided to join Connie’s Color of the Month Challenge 2026. Hence the fabrics I picked for my Disappearing Nine Patch. I’m wondering if I can make a quilt top every month? It sounds like a big goal, so I’m not sure.

Here's some bookish memes you might like.