I’m not posting the next block in the Bible Sampler quilt project today. Let’s take a break, shall we? I’m just now sitting down from a morning of gardening chores to enjoy a cup of coffee. So please join me for Elevenses.
I first witnessed the phenomenon of “Elevenses” in England. (The British are so clever with their terminology.) Besides being a fun word to say, I was impressed that work stopped at 11:00 and a cup of tea and a biscuit were produced, no matter the pace of the day. Bank tellers would close their windows. Phones would not be answered. Those emergencies could wait for fifteen minutes.
Coming from my home state which thrived on living in chronic urgency, at first I was frustrated. I was always pressured to work through my morning breaks on summer jobs. And all those bank holidays, and Queen’s holidays, how ever did anyone get anything done? But then it dawned on me that this slow down in productivity was actually progress. Progress for humankind. We all need to take a break now and then. That was over forty years ago, and I earnestly hope Elevenses is still in full force today.
Either way, I’m enjoying this break with you now. This is my view from my kitchen window. If your sound is turned up, you’ll hear my servants busy at their work. The dishwasher is churning, the robotic vacuum is humming right along. Happy sounds and life is good.
This little break gives me the balance I need. The world news isn’t good, but contrary to what I’m being told by some news sources, I believe that these are not the worst of times. And as I read through the book of Revelation, it occurs to me that people will feel that life is good right up to the final moment when it isn’t. Didn’t people party hearty right up to when the first raindrops fell in the days of Noah? And didn’t Pharoah keep changing his mind, plague after awful plague, in the days of Moses? I think we will behave in the same way right up to the day of final judgment.
So how should we then live? (Anyone else remember Francis Schaeffer?) Well, remember when the Jewish nation was conquered and enslaved in Babylon? God told the people to settle down, settle in, and plant their gardens for the long haul.
I’ll take that advice. And if I may, add one reminder: to stop for elevenses every day and thank the Lord for all His good gifts.
P.S. And just because this is a quilt blog, here’s some quilty content. Clue 7 of the Edyta Sitar 2020 Mystery.
Cuts With Scissors 