A Fall Boutique

Glorious fall is here and while it is true that I miss the incredible beauty of Okinawa, there is something powerful in the succession of the four seasons that coats me with the beauty of creation in a way that is impossible to put language to. I like the words of C. S. Lewis here in The Weight of Glory which I started reading recently with already much to digest and ponder:

We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.”

I participated in the Fall Boutique this year but sadly didn’t see as much traffic as the spring and so lacked the success I previously had. I also sold out of the smaller items much faster which has left me thinking about the direction I need to take.

I’m in the throes of trying to decide which platform to list my remaining work for sale. I’m determined that I will decide by the end of this week. I have beautiful bags left for sale which would make excellent Christmas gifts.

I do have a commission for some Japanese knot bags. I love making these sweet little bags and they come in two useful sizes. They can be used as a wrist bag too and securely hold your purse, keys, phone etc with the clever handle design. See below for pictures.

All in all, this has been a year of growth in unexpected ways. There has a been unexpected joy, deep and unspeakable pain, and a growth in hope, faith and love. I want to share this quote from Metropolitan Anthony Bloom. It causes me to think of the potential paradise that every soul could possess as a home for God if only care was taken to attend to the mystery of the Trinity that dwells within.

“Every one of us is in the image of God, and every one of us is like a damaged icon. But if we were given an icon damaged by time, damaged by circumstances, or desecrated by human hatred, we would treat it with reverence, with tenderness, with broken-heartedness. We would not pay attention primarily to the fact that it is damaged, but to the tragedy of its being damaged. We would concentrate on what is left of its beauty, and not on what is lost of its beauty. And this is what we must learn to do with regard to each person as an individual… We must learn to look, and look until we have seen the underlying beauty… Only then can we even begin to do something to call out all the beauty that is there.”