I first published the following post in November of 2016 so some numbers and details are now different. But my feeling is the same. I believe the message is still true. I’m turning off comments on this post, because I believe it is a time for introspection, not more words.

Scrappy Fence Rail and Our Scrappy Nation

Posted on November 13, 2016 by katyquilts

Last Monday I shared with you the beginnings of my current leader/ended project. I always have questions about this. Bonnie Hunter has a great explanation of leaders/enders here. Anyway, I decided to set my blocks into the fence rail pattern instead of making it the same as my previous scrappy rectangle quilt.

This is what 9 blocks look like side by side. You can also catch a glimpse of one of my assistants in this photo.

I believe scrap quilts are my all time favorite type of quilt. The endless variety of prints, colors, styles…..it is always a wonder, but they end up making a unified whole. Each individual piece is a little bit of cotton cloth, not much by itself, but together, wow! The pieces don’t even have to match to be beautiful side by side. In fact, the result is often better when they don’t!

I believe there is a great lesson here for our deeply divided nation this week. We must remember that we are all like those scraps of cloth, individually we cannot do much. But we are all Americans, cut from the same cloth. Together we make up something so much greater than ourselves. We don’t have to be identical, our differences make this patchwork nation beautiful. But we are all pieces of the same quilt.

This past election has been ugly, but it is over and time for our nation to come back together, to mend. The demonstrations and continued ugliness tear at the very fabric of our nation. Yes, there are many who are bitterly disappointed and say their grief must be acknowledged. They must also remember that there are many others who have felt this same grief for the past eight years.

When one group hurts, we all hurt. I believe the Apostle Paul said it best:
“Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink. Certainly the body isn’t one part but many. If the foot says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? If the ear says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not an eye,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell? But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like he wanted. If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body? But as it is, there are many parts but one body. So the eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or in turn, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. You are the body of Christ and parts of each other.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:12-21, 26-27‬ ‭CEB‬‬

Please join with me in praying for the healing of our nation.