Perfectly Imperfect

Well, time for true confessions… Instead of writing for you last week (did you miss me?) I was completing some quilted pieces which were to be part of a bridal shower gift for my daughter the next day. Even though I was quite settled with deciding to put my writing on hold that day, Spirit had other plans. They still provided messages to pass on to you and believe it or not, they were connected to quilting! No, they are not lessons in how to create a perfect quilted masterpiece. They were messages about a different masterpiece – you! This is how they shared their wisdom…

It was midnight and I still had a few hours to go to complete the quilted placemats and table

runner that were to be part of my daughter’s gift the next day. As I examined the rows of quilting, I sighed at a few misplaced stitches. I wondered what my daughter’s future mother-in-law would think about my handiwork. After all, in my eyes she was a “real quilter” – her projects were beautiful – and I had a long way to go to reach that level of skill. (We will discuss more on self – judgement in a future blog!) However, given the time constraints I had placed on myself, I decided to leave those small imperfections and not rip everything out and start over. Then I heard it… a comment as clear as if my angels were physically sitting next to me, “Perfectly imperfect.” Then the full analogy between the placemats and humanity unfolded…

Loving the Imperfect

As I heard that phrase, “perfectly imperfect,” a warmth filled my heart. Spirit reminded me that what was so much more important than an imperfection was the love that those pieces were created with. My love for my daughter truly was sewn into every seam and a stray stitch here and there did not change the intensity of that love. As I acknowledged that, they went on to show me that so too are we loved by our creator with all of what we might call our “imperfections.” That unconditional love is woven into every fibre of our being. No matter how many times we stumble or veer “off track” we are so, so loved by the Divine. There is no measure of love that is taken away because of our “imperfections.”

The placemats will also contribute to a setting that brings family together to share a meal and time together. The placemats will be witness, just as we are, to the magic and love that happens when people gather together.

Perspective

Scrutinizing my work, I was again reminded of a lesson in judgement. I was looking for imperfections and was missing pulling back to see the “big picture.” Focusing on a stray stitch I was judging/labelling it as a “mistake” – something “wrong” that needed to be “fixed.” But

deciding to give myself a break and refocusing on the entire piece, my perspective changed. I no longer saw the stray stitches. I saw the beauty of the entire creation and was pleased. A smile spread across my face. I was still happy that my original design was working out as planned. I still loved it despite those stray stitches. Then Spirit whispered that we could apply the same thinking to humanity. If we look for flaws in one another, we will surely find them and may judge each other for them. But what we might term flaws in physical appearance, personality, or behaviour may be just our perspective. How can we judge when we are not seeing “the big picture?” Spirit askes whether we can see our fellow human beings as beautiful sparks of the Divine. Can our perspective see flaws as gifts that might teach us valuable lessons? We are reminded that we can choose our perspective as well as our “judgement.” We have the freedom to choose to see the beauty in every person. As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Seeing Our Strengths

As I was pondering these messages about imperfections, Spirit showed me how my little project had many strengths despite the imperfections. They will still get the job done. They will protect my daughter’s table from the heat of dinner’s serving dishes, and they will absorb any messy spill overs from the dinner plates. Spirit again showed me another analogy. Just like the placemats we have a role in being of service, aka we “have a job to do,” and we have similar strengths enabling us to be of service. When we stand in our power, we can “take the heat” from others quietly sending love in return and protecting ourselves and perhaps others from the onslaught. Many, many of us also deal with the “messy things in life” often shielding those we love from them. We stand in our strength to address those messes that are ours rather than allowing them to spill over onto others.

Spirit even pointed out that the reversible placemats were like us when we “turn the other

cheek” when facing adversity. They also suggested that being able to use both sides of the placemats equally illustrated the duality in life and how we are working towards balancing that duality. The colours of the two sides reflect the balance expressed in “as above, so below.” The blue side representing the sky, or the heavens and Spirit, and the green side representing the earth or the physical. The brown trim represents the stability, grounding, and subsequent strength that we experience when we balance Spirit and the physical. I never planned for my colour choices to illustrate such wisdom!

Diversity

Spirit continued to draw comparisons between the patchwork design of the placemats and the diversity within humanity. Just like the people of our planet, the design of the fabrics in the placemats consist of different colours and different shapes of different sizes. Despite those differences, all the pieces of fabric are the same size – they are equal. When sewn together the are part of a beautiful whole. Humanity is similar. Despite the diversity in colour, shape, size, beliefs, economic status, etc. we are all equal in the eyes of the Divine. We are all children of the Divine, Divine sparks of Source – no one greater than another. AND we are all connected. Spirit wants to remind us that when we remember that connectedness, that oneness, we find our strength. When we work together as one, we can achieve our purpose.

Spirit also referred to the diversity within every individual that makes us unique. Not only do the different patches represent our different qualities as a human being, but the variation in the way the pieces are sewn together and quilted – not every seam is perfect and therefore it

is different from the next – reflects our uniqueness as an individual. We are a patchwork of all our characteristics and flaws sewn into a beautiful unique creation. We are similar to others, just as the placemats are, but not identical. In reviewing my process in creating these placemats. Spirit drew a comparison to our own growth as individuals. You see, the placemats started out as a one sided, four fabric design but as I began to put things together, they grew into a two-sided creation made up of sixteen different fabrics. We too become more complex as we grow and learn, awakening more parts of our spiritual identity as we go. We take on more values and beliefs, we learn new behaviours, and even our physical appearance changes. Yet, just like the placemats, what is inside is the same in everyone. Every placemat has the same quilt batting inside giving the placemat shape and strength. We are all the same at our core too. We are all of the light that shines brightly deep within our true selves. That light holds us together when we face adversity and provides a framework for living our lives.

Perfectly Imperfect

So, as I sewed into the wee hours of the morning, my project took on a deeper meaning for me. I again had to smile that even though I decided to forgo writing my blog that day, Spirit was determined to just combine the two activities for me and help me along with both. I knew I was supported in all that I had left to do. In fact, when my eyes were getting too blurry to see to thread the needle on my sewing machine, I asked Spirit for help and they readily assisted. The thread slipped right through the hole in the needle that was invisible to me! Then as fatigue set in, I wondered if I would complete everything in time for the bridal shower that I was hosting that next afternoon. But instead of panic setting in Spirit reminded me that everything happens in perfect timing and that is exactly what happened. After finally giving in to a few hours of sleep, I woke early the next morning to finish the gift, pick up a celebratory cake, and prepare food for the twenty-five plus women who would soon be arriving. Thanks to Spirit and Divine timing, I put the last dish of food on the table just as the first guest arrived.

As I greeted friends, family, and some who knew my daughter but were strangers to me, I could feel the love grow in our home. Looking around I was overcome with a deep sense of gratitude. I was grateful for the help from my other two daughters who had created a magical woodland setting with imaginative decorations. I was grateful to the other bridesmaids who conducted shower games and awarded prizes to keep the guests entertained. I was grateful for my son, who rescued the punch creating a very drinkable concoction. I was grateful for the baking contributed by my son’s girlfriend and my daughter’s future mother-in-law. I was so grateful for the work my husband had done all week helping me to prepare our home and yard to receive the guests – planting spiring flowers, lawn care, and some deep cleaning inside and out. With work, time and lots of love everything came together just as we do as we grow.

As the afternoon progressed, I had so many reminders of things in life that are perfectly

imperfect. I might have missed a few dust bunnies with my cleaning. I probably could have made more devilled eggs. We definitely could have used more chairs. I likely looked a bit disheveled from my busy morning. And then of course there were the placemats and table runner. But none of that mattered. The afternoon was filled with love and laughter. Everything done to prepare for the event was done with love and that permeated the space. Taking it all in and looking at each one of us my heart filled with joy. I hope you too have many moments of joy in your life despite things “not always being perfect.” Like me, I hope you are so happy with your life and the people in it being just who we all are – full of love and “perfectly imperfect.”

Sending you love and light,

Marilyn

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Original photos by M Young

Some images created with Canva