I am His, Isaiah 43:1 by Susan L.

  "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; You are Mine." NKJV
  "But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine." JCB

  Verse two in the JCB goes on to say:
  "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown."
  Thank You, Lord, for being with me on the Black River.

  I picked up a counted cross stitch kit yesterday at the dollar store. I've never done cross stitch but the picture captured my attention. It's of a lovely young woman with flowers in her hair called, "Innocence".
  Thankfully there's clear instructions but I figured if I can follow a hockey player pattern for a knitted sweater, the principles are the same. Only the medium has changed.
  I loved the fact that the edges of the fabric had to be wrapped in thread to prevent them from unravelling. Maybe that's what community is about, wrapping each other in friendship, companionship and love so we don't unravel.
  While it takes concentration because of the unfamiliarity, there's a meditative, prayerful element to it that ties in to what's been going on lately. As each colour, dark or light, is sewn into its place, the full picture will begin to take shape. For now, there's a whole lot of background just waiting its turn to be adorned by small, cross shaped stitches.
 
  As the prayer by Thomas Merton goes, "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end...Therefore I will trust in You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen." (Thanks, H, for sending it to me.)
  I am God's child after all.