If you have ever spent much time with me, you would know that I am almost always knitting. If for some reason I am not, my hands are itching to work stitches. Knitting helps me process life. Lately life has been throwing a lot of curveballs at me and you can bet I have been knitting through all the chaos. This past Sunday I planned on just taking the kids to church and coming home. However I still packed my basket of knitting projects just in case… We did go to church as planned. Then to beach side brunch with my parents. After brunch we went our separate ways. The kids begged to go to play in the sand and my first reaction was to say no. We were in our church clothes. I was wearing tall boots because it was supposed to be a drizzly fall day. In the spirit of pivoting (and not having anything else planned that afternoon) we decided the beach would be a good idea. I took my knitting project and trekked down to the beach, boots and all.
The kids had a blast at the beach and I was able to be fully present with them while also knitting. If I didn’t have my knitting with me I might have been tempted to sit on my phone while they played. I don’t want their memories of me to be with my head down looking at my phone (I already feel like I am on my phone way too much). I do want their memories to be of me sitting, knitting and watching them play. I want to be the mom who says yes to impromptu beach trips even if I dont have the right footwear.
The following day a girlfriend invited us to the pumpkin patch. We loaded up in our van and headed out (of course with my basket of knitting). We went a little early so that we could take photos of my knits for my Etsy shop and the kids had a blast being photographers. Once our friends joined us and we walked around the patch, us mamas sat to chat, knit and hold babies. The big kids ran around, explored the hay maze and slides and exhausted themselves in the fresh air. Because I had brought my knitting, I was able to sit and knit and not feel pressured to hurry through so I could get home to work on projects. Again, I was able to be fully present but also productive. I love that I can create things to sell without having to sacrifice time with my friends or family.
Life is guaranteed to be chaotic. Sometimes as Christians we think that life should be easy and carefree. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. I can only find peace in knitting because I know my ultimate peace, my Peace with a capital P, comes from above. Jesus has already conquered death. God has already won the final battle. My soul has a peace that I cannot describe. My life right now has a ton of moving parts and I have NO IDEA what things will look like a year from now. But I do know that when the dust settles, God is using everything for His glory and life will be so much better than I can even imagine. So when the days seem overwhelming, or too chaotic, I pick up my needles and knit. Knitting calms my hands and God calms my soul.
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