Knitting before the face of God

woo-hoo!

After submitting my final assignment for the semester yesterday, I am now a free woman! (well, maybe not free exactly, but reasonable, at least :-) Admittedly, I still have to pack up all my worldly possessions to move to Brunswick on July 5th, but today I decided was not a day for packing.

I had a visit from a fellow student, who happened to run into one of our lecturers this morning. He told her that we had both "done well" in our Hebrew exam, although no matter how persuasive she tried to be, he would not give any further details (aren't people with integrity annoying sometimes? :-) Anyway, it's good news that I must have at least passed.

After making a few strategic phone calls and emails to at least look like I'm doing something constructive (apart from making copious lists, that is), I have decided to sit down and do some knitting.

... not that i'm a great knitter, mind you (although I do make a pretty cool scarf -plain stitch- out of that groovy feather yarn from Chickenfeed), but there is something therapeutic about the mindless task of clacking a couple of needles together, and seeing something grow as a result.

A few weeks ago I attended a Rural Ministry Conference in Halls Gap. On the Sat morning, there was a variety of activities to promote 'self care' for people in ministry. Most of these related to finding creative ways to connect with God and refresh the spirit. One of the activities was called Knitting before the face of God, and involved using knitting as a kind of mantra, to help clear the mind and allow one to be enveloped in a kind of silence... in which the voice of God may be heard. (There was actually a helpful story to explain the why and the how of it, but I don't have it with me)

It was an interesting experience to sit in companionable silence with two other ladies whilst we all knitted away.

Hmm... speaking of that... I think I need to go... I have some important knitting to do!