Peaceful Pieces
Brittany Stillwell

My grandmother is a quilter. She has made beautiful quilts for so many people it’s hard to keep count. I have several in my house that are very special to me. She always seems to know which fabrics to pick and how to stitch them together to create a beautiful tapestry. These quilts take a lot of work and I am very aware that each stitch is an act of love. I’m not sure if it’s the love woven with each thread, or the fabric she chooses, or the miracle of quilting—but these are the coziest blankets I’ve ever encountered and as long as I can help it, one of these quilts will always be on my bed.

So when it came time to choose a bedtime story that would go with the theme of peace, this week’s book was an easy choice. I chose Peaceful Pieces by Anna Grossnickle Hines; a collection of poetry and quilts created by the author to represent peace.

There are several wonderful poems in this book and you can hear our 2BC pastors read some of their favorites in the children’s sermon in worship and in our Advent bedtime story video this week, but here, I want to spend a moment reflecting on the title of this book. 

The title is based around a homonym: words that sound the same but have different meanings.  Peaceful Pieces—it has a nice ring, but I think the author chose this title and the concept for her book for reasons beyond a chance to use a homonym. 

Peace—the kind of peace we talk about at Advent, a word that is very hard to describe. That feeling you get inside when you know that no matter what, all is well; a gift that could only come from our Creator.

Piece—a part of a whole, something that you put with other pieces to make something beautiful—like the fabric in a quilt. 

I wonder if God’s peace is like a quilt. Pieces stitched carefully, painstakingly, tediously, lovingly together to make something beautiful, meaningful, and cozy. Perhaps, when we all come together to do our part, we make the world a more peaceful place. 

May it be so in us. Amen.

 

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