Knitting hearts

The well continues to captivate my thoughts…Sisters, why do we gather? Why is it that we can’t wait to run to the well and share our latest with our sisters? Be it excitement and celebration or disappointment and sorrow, our hearts yearn and we seek the company of others at the well.

In the days of old, we stood side-by-side in every day life; we stood in the kitchen, in the field, in the home, at the well. We tended, we mended, we gathered, we prepared, we delivered. It’s just what we did. Today, isolation is easy and side-by-side living is not necessary. It can be a lonely place, but our hearts still desire the company of the women at the well.

Whether unexpected or planned, we seem to gather naturally. We look for opportunities to come together and commune. Our modern day wells may look quite different than those of our ancestors – the workplace, the church, the soccer field, a book club, or a coffee shop. There, we share hearts, we share stories, we share emotions, we share hurts, we share sufferings, we share triumphs, we share joys and we share laughter. What we do is come together and share lives, lives knitted together stitch by stitch.

I don’t knit, but my mother-in-law knit lots of beautiful clothing for our children when they were little. I was always in awe of her skill and how hundreds upon hundreds of knitted stitches created something so treasured. I kept every item she knitted, to precious not to. Each item she knit somehow encapsulated memories and stories of our children – one worn home from the hospital, the first Christmas, the winter booties, the knitted pink sweater- yes, that was my favorite.

I believe our Creator knits; He knits hearts, women’s hearts, woven together by life. There must be something our heart knows about knitting, something that eludes our intellect. Hearts drawn to hearts through side by side living.

Naomi was in dire condition, alone and without any resources. Ruth’s loyalty would not allow her to abandon Naomi and Ruth stayed by her side. Ruth’s name means friend…Mary, the Blessed Mother, had really big news to share, so off she went to see her cousin Elizabeth. They both had something special, the brining forth of new life…Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were grieving together as they made their way, to the unexpectedly empty tomb. With confusion, fear and awe they were met by one of God’s messengers. They experienced the awesome power of the heavenly, and together with hearts healed, they ran to share the good news.

Celebration, encouragement, rejoicing, compassion – the beauty of life, the beauty of women, woven stitch by stitch, by our Creator who knits hearts. Stitch by stitch, heart by heart, row upon row interlocking – a woven design of God’s daughters, exemplifying the Creator’s heart. To do what? To do what we were designed to do, side-by-side living at the well. To bring what? To bring beauty, to bring life, to bring nurture. For what purpose? To love, to create and to invite. The summation – experience the heart of God, alongside the hearts of other women at the well, an invitation extended to each of us for deeper union with our Creator, so we may be knitted into divinely crafted treasures.