It seems like yesterday that I was living in another world, two and a half decades ago. I would have been eight years old. There was no "new year new you" hype happening in my Amish-Mennonite family. It would have been just another day.
My Mom dropped me and my brothers off at Grosmommy's house for the morning. It was a wet snowy day outside so Grosmommy let each of us have a cup of something known in the Amish culture as "coffee soup", which was made with half milk, half coffee, some sugar and crackers or bread. We played with empty thread spools and wooden blocks and made up games on the long wooden staircase while Grosmommy worked on a quilt.
My Grosmommy was always quilting. She quilted to help bring in extra income, while my Grosdoddy raised animals and vegetables that he sold at auctions and their roadside produce stand. If you're familiar with my background at all, you'll know that's a very typical lifestyle. At this point, Grosmommy and Grosdoddy were older, but they were still working hard. In fact, they would work and have projects all the way up until they passed away in their late 80s. This is my heritage and I'm proud of it.
My favorite quilts in Grosmommy's house were not the fancy ones she quilted for the “Englisha people”, though. Those quilts were beautiful, but those quilts were not what kept me warm when Grosmommy told my brothers and I to go take a nap. The quilts I loved the most were the soft worn plain block quilts on Grosmommy’s beds.
These everyday quilts were sometimes made with the fabric that was cut from old dresses. They were remnants that were repurposed and turned into a quilt. These quilts were made with clothing that was no longer useable because it had too many holes in it, clothing that was worn down after being used, that clothing was gathered, cut, and turned into a quilt that covered us on cold nights and kept us warm. When Grosmommy passed away, the quilts were all divided out between each of her children, and they will be passed down again to their children.
This is such a beautiful picture to me: My Grosmommy took broken pieces, gathered remnants, and pieced them together to become a covering, and that covering then became part of her legacy as these quilts were passed down. Powerful. Beautiful.
How will you use your journey to create a legacy?
A Lesson from the German Word “Gelassenheit”
My friend Mary June shared something a while back that I saved. She also comes from my background, so I often relate to the things she writes because she speaks my "language". This morning I want to share it with you because it just finishes off today's message so beautifully.
Gelassenheit. A German word from my mother tongue. It’s a word that is used in my culture & hard to translate into English. Let’s start with how it’s pronounced — “Guh-LASSen-height” .
“Composure, Yielding submission, Self-surrender, Acceptance” — all of these words have been used to define gelassenheit, but it is so much more than that! I’ve heard it described as “peace of the soul” which I believe comes a little closer to what it means.
One of my favorite descriptions is the one that Patrick’s late uncle Matthew used as he was walking through his last days on earth, fighting cancer. He explained it as “Knowing that what is - IS - and is GOOD.”
“Resting & believing that it all belongs & has a purpose” is my personal way of experiencing/explaining Gelassenheit. I have a knowing that everything I face has a purpose.
If I TRULY believe that God is the groundedness of everything, the Being in all, around all, & through all — then nothing is unknown to God. The Divine God of the universe is FOR us, KNOWS us in the most intimate way, and still loves us. Maybe it's part of the explanation to how pain and peace can run parallel in our lives?
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I love how Mary June ends her thought with a question. Because truly, no one can tell you how you should view the journey of your life or what's possible in your future. I certainly can't. But I do believe the words of the Bible that tell me all things are working together for our good.
Accept That It All Belongs
That means, nothing in our lives ever gets wasted. No experience is wasted. No sacrifice is wasted. No failure is wasted. No suffering is wasted. And somehow, in the bigger picture of the masterpiece of our lives, it all belongs.
I accept that everything in my journey belongs, like a beautiful mosaic made with broken pieces or my Grosmommy's quilts made from remnants — it is all forming a greater picture of wholeness and beauty.
It all belongs.
You're already winning, friend.
Hold on to the good.
