Walk In The Rain With Me: August 2013

My Passion

Saturday, August 10, 2013

"When passion and skill work together, the end result is often a masterpiece." -Unknown

So, I've been talking a lot lately about these hats that I've been crocheting, and many people have requested more information about these hats, what I'm doing, what my prices are, etc. So here I am- writing about my hats. Since there are a few main questions that everyone has asked, I'll start by answering those.

Q&A with Living Water Hats

Q- "So, what is this about crocheted hats?"
A- Well, I am selling crocheted hats to raise money to build a Jesus Well.

Q- "A Jesus Well? What's a Jesus Well?"
A- A Jesus Well is a well built through an organization called Gospel for Asia (GFA) that is working to bring the Gospel to remote villages in Asia. A Jesus Well enables women to draw clean water within their village, instead of having to walk a long ways. The water that they often have access to is unclean and not suitable for drinking or cooking with, leading to high number of waterborne illness and death. Also, what often happens is that when there is a village well, people who are considered outcasts (those with disabilities or those stuck in poverty) are banned from drawing water. With a Jesus Well, anyone has access to water- no matter who they are. (For more information about Jesus Wells, click HERE. Be sure to watch the video!)

Q- "OK! That's pretty neat. So, what types of hats do you make?"
A- I make a variety of hats, and am always willing to work with you to customize yours. Here are a few pictures of some hats I make, though this isn't the entire collection. I'm still working on getting pictures of all the hats I make.

Marvelous Mesh

Divine Beret

Basic Beanie

Basic Beanie with fuzzy brim and pom pom

Q- "Fun! So, what are your prices?"
A- I've actually been fiddling around with how I want to "charge" for the hats. At first I had been asking a specific amount that was related to which hat style you chose. However, I decided that I don't really like that method. It's too complicated, and I never know what to tell people when they say "How much are they?" SO! I decided to try out a new system. Instead of having a set price for each hat, I'm going to do a "minimum donation" that's based on what size of hat you order, not waht style. The new prices are as follows... Baby hats have a minimum donation price of $10, child hats have a minimum donation price of $15, and adult hats have a minimum donation price of $20. If you choose a more difficult embellishment or customization (an animal face, specialty yarn, etc.) I ask that you add $5. If you would like to give more, that's always appreciated, too, but don't feel pressured into it.

Q- "I don't wear hats very much. Is there another way I can help?"
A- Hats make great gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Resurrection Sunday, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, New Years, or just for fun! Consider purchasing a hat for a relative or friend. If you still don't want a hat but want to support me, something that would be really helpful is to just spread the word. Tell someone you think might like to purchase a hat. Word of mouth is extremely important, and every little bit helps.

****I have also decided to look into donating hats. You can "sponsor" a hat, telling me as much or as little about the hat as you want, and I will make it. But instead of giving the hat to you, I will donate it somewhere it is needed. I am still looking into this, and haven't really figured out where I'm donating the hats to. If you have any suggestions or tips for me, or know of a place that could use these hats, just email me at livingwaterhats@gmail.com.****

So, I guess those are the main questions people ask me when they hear about my hats. If you still have questions, feel free to email me at livingwaterhats@gmail.com.

anxiety

Where Have the Years Gone?

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

“I think I might understand the way time works: how its passing is impossible to see but when it's gone, you feel it.” - Lysley Tenorio

Time is a funny thing. It has a way of seeming to pass so slowly in the moment, and yet eventually you look back and wonder where it's gone. Each day may well seem as long as a lifetime, yet as more and more go by, you look back and see that you have come so much farther than you thought you had. You think about things happening in three years and think, "Oh! That's a long time from now. I have a while." But if you look back to three years ago, you realize that it hardly seems to have taken a week.

When people used to talk about how time passed so quickly, I would think to myself, "Ha! I don't know what world you're living in, but it's sure not the same as mine! Things always come so slowly in my world. I wish time passed quickly!" As I have grown older, though, my perception of things has changed. I don't know exactly what it is about getting older, but time seems to just fly by so quickly you can hardly keep up. While days may feel exceedingly long, all put together they seem shorter than each individual day. (A bit like the stable from The Last Battle, but in reverse. Instead of being larger inside than outside, it's smaller inside that outside. (Did that even make sense?))

I guess I haven't really said what it was that has made me realize how much time has passed. It's not really one incident, but a collection of happenings put together. In fact, I am reminded of it on an almost daily basis.

Today, my not-so-little sister made cookies. Nearly all by herself. The only things I did were call out ingredients, help with stirring, and take it out of the oven. I still remember when she was born. I remember holding her for the first time. I remember her first birthday, and her first Christmas. (Not that she did much that first Christmas.) I remember her first year of dance. So many “firsts.” And now she's getting so grown up! She does things on her own, she is independent and has a mind that never ceases to amaze.

Another reminder of the passing of time is at the exact opposite end of the spectrum. The end that makes me feel so young still. My older sister. With her, instead of thinking so much about her “firsts”, I am thinking about how many “lasts” there are now. Her last year of high-school. Her last year of dance. Her last few years as a teenager. Her last year to share a room with me. Last, last, last. A whole chapter out of both of our lives is finishing. And once it's finished it's... finished.

It's kind of a scary thought, actually. Like coming to a fork in the road that's covered in fog and realizing that my sister and I are both headed somewhere different. I know that may seem a bit melodramatic, but it's how it feels.

It's easy sometimes (especially when I'm feeling down or stressed already) to let the thought of her going away really freak me out. Sometimes I can't help but think, "Oh my gosh! I'll be all by myself! Who will I talk to all the time? Who will I laugh with? Who will I run all my ideas by?" It's at times like that when I have to sort of stop my brain, take a deep breath, and remember that it will be OK. My world will not fall apart. She's not leaving forever. She's not running off never to be seen or heard from again. She'll come visit. We'll still email. If I start working on it now, we might even talk on the phone. Imagine that, huh?! (Did you hear that, Daddy? I just suggested talking on the phone for fun! You should be proud of me.)

And even though it might seem like it now, it's not like everyone is going away. I'll still have my Mommy and Daddy. I'll still have my friends. I'll still have my other siblings. And above all, I'll still have God. Or, rather, God will still have me. No matter who else in my life moves on, He will always be there. No matter how many people "leave" me (even though my sister isn't really leaving), God isn't going anywhere.

And in the moments where I feel like worrying, that's what I hold onto. That everything will be OK, that not everyone is leaving, that my world is not going to fall apart, and that no matter who does "leave", God is still there.

Living Water Hats

"When All You Have Is Fishes" Part 2- The Miracle

Monday, August 05, 2013

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see." -C.S. Lewis

People are always saying that sometimes, when you pray for an answer, it doesn't come as a sudden bolt of lightening or a really obvious, “wet-rag-to-the-face” answer. We like to remind each other that sometimes it's subtle, and you have to be listening really hard in order to catch it.

But then sometimes, God answers a prayer in a totally unexpected way that you just can't help but notice.

A little while ago, I did a blog post about my project, “Living Water Hats.” (If you haven't read the post, click HERE.) I'd been kinda worrying about that post before I actually published it. More than normal, I mean. I kept thinking, “What if I offend someone?” I don't know what exactly I thought was so offensive about it, but I went back and forth on whether or not I was going to actually post that. In fact, it sat on my “bookshelf” as a draft for at least two or three days before I got up the nerve to push that alluring little button and publish it.

But for all that, I felt very strongly that I needed to publish it. Someone out there needed to read it, so I just had to get over myself and put it out there. I mean, really. Do I take myself so seriously as to think that someone might actually be offended by something I post? (Offending someone is one of those “I'll know I've hit the big time when...” things for me.)

So, for several days before I even wrote the loaves and fishes post, I had been praying that God would open up a door for me to be able to sort of spread the word on my hats project. I wanted to keep it going, and I really wanted to get the Jesus Well funded by the end of this year. I was praying that He would show me some way to grow the project. A way for more people to hear about it and get involved.

Then on Wednesday, I was approached by a really neat person at church. The worship leader, actually. His name is Mr. Matt, and he's a photographer. (You can check him out over at wearesaltbox.com) I've always thought he was really awesome, and the fact that he wanted to talk to me was very cool. (You should have been inside my head when he said he read my blog! I kid you not, I sounded like a normal teenage girl would if Taylor Lautner shook her hand. Eeeek!) He told that he read the aforementioned blog post, and that he really liked what I had to say. He also said that he wanted to buy a hat from me and not only that, but he wanted to help me advertise my hats. I think my jaw might have dropped when he said that.

It was one of those moments where there's no mistaking- it was an answer to prayer. It's not a coincidence. It's not an accident. It's a God-thing. And it was a really good reminder that God really does hear our prayers. He really is listening. He's not too busy. He didn't fall asleep. He's not on vacation. He's there. And He has a plan that you cannot even dream of.

I like to think that I have a pretty good (and perhaps chronically overactive) imagination, but I could never have imagined that. I had imagined someone might want to buy a hat after reading my blog post, but had never even considered someone wanting to help me tell other people about them, too. It's incredible! And though it's already been a while since the conversation, I'm still awed by it and feel like smiling like a fool any time I think about it.

Here's something for you to remember- God hears your prayers. No matter what seems to be going on right now, He has a plan. And that plan that He has- the plan for your fishes and your prayers- is bigger, grander, and more awe-inspiring than you can even dream of.

So just hold on for now. God is telling a story through your life, and sometimes His words are written too big for you to read. Someday you will look back from afar and see just how amazing it really was.

And that's what a miracle is...

(Oh! And Mr. Matt? If you're reading this, just know that everything I said about you was completely true, and it wasn't just flattery. I meant every word I said.)

My Passion

Where Have the Years Gone?

"When All You Have Is Fishes" Part 2- The Miracle

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