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“To sew is to pray. Men don't understand this. They see the whole but they don't see the stitches. They don't see the speech of the creator in the work of the needle. We mend. We women turn things inside out and set things right. We salvage what we can of human garments and piece the rest into blankets. Sometimes our stitches stutter and slow. Only a woman's eyes can tell. Other times, the tension in the stitches might be too tight because of tears, but only we know what emotion went into the making. Only women can hear the prayer.” - Louise Erdrich
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"I Will Keep Broken Things"
I will keep Broken Things: The big clay Pot With raised Iguanas Chasing Their Tails; Two Of their Wise Heads Sheared Off; I will keep Broken things: The old Slave Market Basket Brought To my Door By Mississippi A jagged Hole Gouged In its sturdy Dark Oak Side. I will keep Broken things: The memory Of Those Long Delicious Night Swims With You; I will keep Broken things: In my house There Remains An Honored Shelf On which I will Keep Broken Things. Their beauty Is They Need Not Ever Be ‘fixed.’ I will keep Your Wild Free Laughter Though It is now Missing Its Reassuring And Graceful Hinge. I will keep Broken Things: Thank you So much! I will keep Broken Things. I will keep You: Pilgrim Of Sorrow. I will keep Myself. ~Alice Walker Stabat Mater Dolorosa
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)for soprano and alto solo Stabat Mater dolorosa Iuxta crucem lacrimosa Dum pendebat Filius. The grieving Mother stood weeping beside the cross where her Son was hanging. Cuius animam gementem Contristatam et dolentem Pertransivit gladius. Through her weeping soul, compassionate and grieving, a sword passed. O quam tristis et afflicta Fuit illa benedicta Mater unigeniti! O how sad and afflicted was that blessed Mother of the only-begotten! Quae moerebat et dolebat, Pia Mater, dum videbat Nati poenas incliti. Who mourned and grieved, seeing and bearing the torment of her glorious child. Quis est homo qui non fleret, Matrem Christi si videret In tanto supplicio? Who is it that would not weep, seeing Christ’s Mother in such agony? Vidit suum dulcem natum Moriendo desolatum Dum emisit spiritum. She saw her sweet child die desolate, as he gave up His spirit. Eja Mater, fons amoris Me sentire vim doloris Fac, ut tecum lugeam. O Mother, fountain of love, make me feel the power of sorrow, that I may grieve with you. Fac, ut ardeat cor meum In amando Christum Deum Ut sibi complaceam. Grant that my heart may burn in the love of Christ my God, that I may greatly please Him. Sancta Mater, istud agas, Crucifixi fige plagas cordi meo valide. Holy Mother, may you do thus: place the wounds of the Crucified deep in my heart. Fac ut portem Christi mortem, passionis fac consortem, et plagas recolere. Make me to bear Christ's death, sharing in His passion, and commemorate his wounds. Inflammatus et accensus per te, Virgo, sim defensus in die iudicii. Inflame and set on fire, may I be defended by you, Virgin, on the day of judgment. Fac me cruce custodiri morte Christi praemuniri confoveri gratia. Let me be guarded by the cross, armed by Christ's death and His cherished by His grace. Quando corpus morietur, fac ut animæ donetur Paradisi gloria. Amen. When my body dies, grant that to my soul is given the glory of paradise. Amen. © Hans van der Velden 13th century Franciscan hymn "( A Parenthesis here about quotations and credits. I was taught in college how to footnote, ow to give credit where credit is due, and in the accepted, scholarly way. But most of the writers I want to quote in this book are writers whose words I've copied down in a big brown, Mexican notebook, what is called a commonplace book. I copy down words and thoughts upon which I want to meditate, and footnoting is not my purpose; this is a devotional, not a scholarly notebook. I've been keeping it for many years, and turn to it for help in prayer, in understanding. All I'm looking for in it is meaning, meaning which will help me to live life lovingly, and I am only now beginning to see the usefulness of noting book title and page, rather than simple jotting down, 'Francis of Assissi.')" Madeleine L'Engle
 "January Thaw, Edge of Town" Lawren Harris 1921 |
"Ideas won't keep; something must be done about them."
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