All Saints Day

Happy Feast Day to all of you!  It is just a gorgeous day here in Dallas.  The air is crisp and clean.  The sun is shining and the trees are exhibiting spectacular colors.

 

God gave us a beautiful day to honor the Saints and their dedication to Him. 

 

I've been taking photos around the grounds of God's creatures.  I'll post a few here.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Psalm 8 


"How great is your name. O Lord our God, through all the earth!  Your majesty is praised above the heavens; on the lips of children and of babes you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel.  When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him?


Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and honor you crowned him, gave him power over the works of you hand, put all things under his feet.  All of them, sheep and cattle, yes, even the savage beasts, birds of the air, and fish that make their way through the waters.  How great is you name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!"

October is Rosary Month

October is Rosary Month. The members of the Etsy Rosary Guild Team have highlighted some of our rosary in honor of the month. Please take some time to visit these Treasuries on Etsy and browse the members shops to see all the lovely offerings.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=71768

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=71525

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=71867

Cabachon Earrings

Here It is, my next attempt at making. The Lesson, I learned to make a bezel, solder and form ear wires and set a cabochon . A bezel is the cup that a cabochon stone is set in. A cabochon is a stone with a flat back that is smooth and polished on the top and sides. The stone in these earrings is unakite. An olive green stone with brown and pink inclusions. The bezel back is cut from sheets of metal, in this case sterling silver. A very thin and delicate wall is made of fine silver bezel wire. a flat ribbon that is shaped around the stone and soldered closed. It is then soldered to the sterling sheet. The edge is trimmed and filed smooth. I attached a length of sterling silver round wire to the top of the bezel and then mounted the cabochon by placing it in the bezel and pushing the top edge of the bezel over the stone with a burnishing tool. The stone was covered to protect it and the bezel was polished. Then the wire was formed into a french style ear wire. Voila, they were earrings. Well, it took a little more time that it sounds like, but three more techniques under my belt. I hope to use the techniques to improve the quality of my Rosaries Chaplets and Jewelry which I like to imbue with Christian symbolism.

My First Jewelry Project

Well, I did it. I've completed a metal fabrication piece. It was exciting. I have learned basic techniques of sawing, annealing, stamping, pickling, soldering, polishing and using epoxy to fill a bezel. Let me know how you like it. Remember, It was a beginning, I'm not an expert yet so don't expect perfection.

Taking the Next Step

I've been taking a class in metal fabrication. I want to take my designs to the next level. To be able to bring something to my pieces that is original. It has been an exciting experience in making. I am coming up with all kinds of ideas to make additions to my rosaries, chaplets, bookmarks and jewelry. Things that will make them reflect my own personality and something apart from the ordinary. I can't wait to finish my first piece. I'm sure it will be short of a masterpiece, but mine none the less. I'll be posting pictures in the future so you will be able to see my progress.



I'm also working on a cookbook for the Monastery where I work. We have facilities for private and group retreats on Spirituality. I get lots of requests for recipes from the guests who attend. I decided to put my favorites together into a cookbook that the Fathers could sell to those who come here. I'm still trying to decide on a title and have more recipes to collect and write. I'm planning on adding quotes from the Carmelite Saints and Blesseds and as many tips as I can come up with. My cooking style is unusual. I cook according to what we have or what is in season. We get donations from many different places and so i adapt recipes have to use what is in the pantry. I may use the same basic recipe, but it is usually different each time I make it. It's always fun to work things in. We may receive 25 pounds of carrots or a case of spaghetti or someones bumper crop of figs and zucchini. It keep things interesting.

First Show Jitters

I have a friend who is preparing to enter her first big juried art and craft show. It reminded me of my first juried show. I was really nervous because I had to send in pictures of my work. What if they didn't like them. I didn't even know how to attach a picture to an e-mail. It took me forever to send them because I had to send eight and I could only attach two to an e-mail. I didn't know about reducing the pixels so they would send easier.

I had no idea how to set up a booth and no equipment to do it with. I made stands out of old but free plumbing parts in the shape of crosses. I thought it was an appropriate display. I ran out to the discount fabric store and bought fabric from the bargain bin to make table drapes. I frantically started making tags, business cards and signs with the help of my baby sister, I call her Saint Michelle. Somehow, I pulled things together and went to the show with 36 pieces to sell. Needless to say, many people there had hundreds of pieces, but I was the only rosary maker there. I was breathless and so excited when I sold my first piece. I was delighted that I made a small profit. Most of all, I had a great time meeting people and talking about rosaries. I met the local Sheriff at that show and she bought a rosary. It was a great experience and I was ready to do my next one.

It has been years and I still enjoy seeing the people I met at that show and the others that followed.

Prayer Beads

Prayer beads are used in many cultures and religions as an aide to meditation. Meditation has been around for a long time. There are many different kinds of meditation and many different forms of prayer beads. Malas, Chaplets , Chotkis, Rosaries and more each with it history and purpose.

Christians use chaplets to pray and meditate on various aspects of the Life of Christ. The most well know of these is the Rosary. What is a Rosary? I am asked this question a lot. In my humble opinion, it is a tool and method for quieting the body and mind so the soul can reflect on God. Simply put, it is an aide to meditation on the Life of Christ. The beads of the Rosary have evolved over the years and are used today by Catholics and Protestants alike. The Catholic Rosary has a Crucifix or Cross followed by a large bead or Pater, three smaller beads or Aves, another Pater and a Center Medal. From the center a circle of beads is attached which consists of five sets of ten Aves followed by a pater except for the last set which ends at the Center Medal. The sets of one plus ten beads are called decades. We announce Mystery of the Life of Christ on each of the next five Paters and meditate on that Mystery during the prayers of the ten beads.

The Prayers of the Rosary are a meditation of our Faith in God. We begin by dedicating our pray to the Holy Trinity. We pray in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. On the Crucifix, we repeat the Apostles' Creed. It is a statement of our belief. After the Crucifix there is a series of beads and on each bead there are specific prayers said. The first bead after the Crucifix is called the Pater. It is seperated by a space from the next bead and may sometimes be larger or accentuated in another way to make it distinct from the Ave beads as in the example below. On the Paters we recite the prayer given to the apostles in Matthew's gospel 6, 9-13; and Luke's gospel 11, 2-4; commonly know as the 'Our Father' which is another name for the Pater bead. On the next three beads or Aves we repeat the Hail Mary. Ave is the Latin word for Hail, to greet someone. The Hail Mary is a prayer taken from the Annunciationof the angel Gabriel in Luke 1, 28; and the greeting of Elizabeth to Mary as she entered her home upon visiting her in Judah before the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1, 42;. they are followed by 'Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.' The 'Our Father' is repeated on the next Pater and we announce the first mystery of the decade. There are 20 Mysteries divided into sets of five. The sets are named Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous. The Joyful mysteries are about the scriptural events in the birth and childhood of Jesus. The Luminous mysteries are the scriptural account of the ministry of Jesus. The Sorrowful Mysteries depict the events of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. The Glorious mysteries are scriptural account of the Resurrection, Ascension and promise of Jesus. The mystery is followed by ten 'Hail Mary's' and the 'Glory Be To The Father...' This is repeated with each of the five mysteries and the rosary is ended with 'Hail, Holy Queen' as we beseech our Holy Mother to pray for us to the Lord, Our God.As complex as it sounds, reciting the prayers slowly leads to a rhythm and quiet that allows the soul to meditate on God and His gift to us, His only Son made man who is our Savior.

"God Walks Among The Pots And Pans"

The title is a quote from Teresa of Avila, Saint, Doctor of the Church and founder of the Discalced Carmelite Order. Teresa was devoted to contemplative prayer and yet she was fully aware that the time we spend working is as important as the time spent in contemplation of God. Our work, if done in a spirit of love can be as pleasing to God as our time in prayer. In fact, our work can be a prayer if dedicated to pleasing Him.



Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection OCD, a Carmelite Friar in the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Paris stated it this way. In his writing on The Practice of The Presence of God he wrote; "The times of activity are not at all different from the hours of prayer,... for I possess God as peacefully in the commotion of my kitchen, where often enough several people are asking me for different things at the same time, as I do when knelling before the Blessed Sacrament.

Thoughts like these sustain me on those busy days in a hot kitchen when I find myself asking why am I here? I am here because God is here with me.

What Do You Do About.......

I recently took part in a discussion with a group of rosary artisans about responding to a clients wish to change a custom rosary. From the artists point of view, we struggle with the creative process in a way that the end result is like a child born out of ourselves. The other side, the clients point of view, is that they would like to make a change which would make the piece fully theirs and very soul satisfying to them.

I can see both sides of the situation. We discussed the various aspects of the problem. It still leaves me wondering. I would like to know your thoughts on the topic.

A Thought For The Day

I received this quote from a good friend today. The words made an impact on me and wanted to share it with you.

"Intimacy with God is the ultimate meaning and profound calling of every human life. Jesus Christ calls men or women to follow him and he makes his voice heard and his fascination felt by the inner action of the Holy Spirit.." Pope John Paul II

A Maker of Rosaries, The Journey

I was thinking the other day about how I came to be a rosary maker. I grew up in the protestant church and anything Catholic was looked upon with skepticism. Simply put, we didn't understand the meaning of or need for the rituals and rites of Catholicism. Ironically, I realized that many of the people I knew and admired for their moral character were Catholic. When my oldest sibling, who had joined the Catholic Church, invited me to attend RCIA at her parish I saw it as an opportunity to answer some questions. I was hesitant but decided to check it out. I wanted to know if all that I had heard regarding Catholic belief was true. I wanted to know if Catholicism had anything to do with forming the character of the people I looked up to. I also wanted to know if what I had come to believe about God was compatible with their beliefs. They explained with clarity and simplicity the Catholic beliefs. Questions about my own faith became clear when explained through their understanding of the Scriptures. I felt like I had come home at last. To make a long story short, I joined the Catholic Church.

One of the most important parts of Catholic life is The Mass. I love The Mass. I love its order and beauty. I love how it follows a logical path that explains how the church came to be. I love that it helps us to understand how the church is still evolving and how we as part of the church are also growing and evolving. Most of all, I love how it gently and kindly reminds us of God's love for us. That is what drove me to want to be more Christian and to live a more Christian life. Searching to learn more, I learned that the church has Orders which follow a particular characteristic of Christ. That led me to Discalced Carmelite Order. This Order follows the charisim of comtemplative prayer. Being a Carmelite is not a way of being a bigger and better Christian. It is simply a way to live as a Christian by practicing the charism of contemplative prayer. A prayer of quietly being with God here and now. Praying the rosary, for me, is a way to quietly gaze on God. To contemplate the life Jesus led and what that means for us as Christians.

The quiet beauty of this prayer and the beauty of creation come together in a rosary. It is a simple string of beads crafted by combining the splendid elements of nature, stone and metal, seed and fiber. It guides your fingers and your thoughts through the mysteries of Our Lord's life. It brings peace to your life and lifts your soul to the Creator. Making rosaries is my way of sharing this joy with others.

A word about the title

I grew up on a wheat farm in Oklahoma. Farming is a work intensive business so Mom and Dad were always busy and my siblings and I learned to help out and to entertain ourselves. We used what was available to make games and entertainment. Mud pies, songs about what we saw, games out of old buttons and string and scraps of wood and nails. I'm sure this might shock the i-pod/Wii generation but we had fun. And the fun was limited only by our imaginations.

As time went on I learned to make other things. Coffee for my dad on a cold winter day, gravy as soon as I could reach the stove by standing on a stool, canned produce from the garden and dinners for harvest or haying crews. I learned how to make repairs. Dad told me one day that I could learn to change a tire or walk 15 miles home. Changing the tire seemed like the best option and that was just the start. All in all, our parents taught us how to be self sufficient, and it has stood the test of time.

I also learned the joy of making something beautiful out of found objects like stones or leaves or pencils and crayons. My obsession with making things grew. I learned sewing and baking and gardening. This led to weaving, cake decoration, watercolor painting, printmaking and the list goes on.

I know your thinking she is "a jack of all trades and master of none". Yet, aren't we all who we are because of the experiences we have had. I think we are all a tapestry made up of the richness of our experiences. I also firmly believe that we are individual parts that make up a greater and richer tapestry. Without the diversity of threads or colors of pigment would the great art of this world be as colorful or expressive? In God's plan, would the body be sound if we were all one part and not many parts making up the whole.

I came to be uniquely what I am by the twisted and varied path followed while making things. Currently, you will find me working as a cook at a Carmelite retreat center making friends, rosaries, prayer and something to nourish those who pass my way.