Posts Tagged ‘forest’

  1. Old Made New

    26 March, 2010 by Alexa Chipman

    Above is a picture of the corner of my room where I keep the rosary, along with the most used prayer books and other items of that nature.

    I’ve always admired rosaries when I saw them in shops– often stopping to look at them and consider how beautiful they were and what they represented. I always meant to purchase one but never got around to it. Part of the reason was my quest for historical objects. I try not to purchase new books– there is not that sense of antiquity when reading them. When holding a book from the 1800s with original notes scribbled in pen and ink in the margins, something special happens. There is an idea that other very real people held and loved the book, reading the same words. It is difficult to describe, but something very important to historians.

    I had been thinking about where to find an old rosary without going to impersonal antique shops, when I was visiting a friend who actually brought up the subject. She mentioned that she had many rosaries passed down from her mother and grandmother. I mentioned aloud that I had been looking for one and she very kindly offered one. We laid them all out– each was exquisite– and I was drawn to a gorgeous old filigree style rosary from around the early 1900s/1920s.

    It was not a complete rosary, but with my extensive beadwork experience it was a simple matter of replacing the missing part which included the crucifix and first five beads. You can see in the image that I added a splash of colour. I considered keeping purely with the metal look, but I love green and trees so decided to go that way instead.

    This shows part of the original rosary– it really is incredible to hold and think about the almost century of prayer that has gone into it already. I think that makes it something particularly special.

    I’m still memorizing a few of the prayers involved, as well as what days of the week to do what, but it is a wonderful journey so far. I might take the time in future to create completely unique beaded rosaries. I have piles of lovely beads left over from other projects that I think would make some wonderful pieces.

    Category Vocation | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  2. Inferno – Canto I

    30 December, 2009 by Alexa Chipman

    And so my fear was quieted a little;
    for through the sorrowful night which lingered,
    the lake of my heart was filled with terror.

    After spending time tangled in dark woods, and coming to the lip of an equally scary valley, Dante looks up to see golden beams of sunlight. Though his heart was troubled from the surface to its deepest core, the fear ebbed away upon seeing that light. There is a song in the musical Little Mary Sunshine that goes, “when e’er a cloud of gray seems to walk your way, look for a sky of blue,” it may seem rather trite, but it is true. Whenever we are particularly depressed by the news, or things happening in our own lives, it can seem like we’re in an endless black lake or tangled forest. What we need to do is look up for a few moments and find something good to think about. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

    Category Book Club | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Inferno – Canto I

    6 October, 2009 by Alexa Chipman

    I don’t really know how I got into
    the forest; I was very sleepy as
    I accidentally strayed from my path.

    There is a text from the 12th century that speaks of a type of bird who stands watch holding a stone. If the bird begins to fall asleep, the stone drops and the sound wakes the watcher. The writer of that text, Gerald of Wales, cautioned Christians to do likewise. This part of the canto is very reminiscent of that warning, because Dante admits that it is when he grew sleepy that he abandoned his true path. If we keep alert all is well, but we end up in dark tangled places through lack of watchfulness. Dante in the poem didn’t deliberately go his own way, but rather stopped paying attention and wandered off. Often Christians can do the same thing– even as simple as thinking about laundry or appointments during mass instead of concentrating on the liturgy’s meaning.

    Category Book Club | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

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