A Lively Hope #47
What Women Hold
What Women Hold:
As women we hold countless things, physically, mentally, and emotionally. We carry schedules and routines, hopes and dreams. We bear grief, fear, anxiety, and the heavy weight of expectation. And we hold so much joy.
We hold our loved ones close. Our arms embrace the grieving. We clasp our hands together in prayer, in anger, in delight. We carry meals, gifts, responsibilities, and invisible labor. Our lives are a tangle of joy and struggle. Our hands are full. Our minds are full. Our hearts are full.
This piece illustrates what it feels like to be a modern woman. All of our roles are overlapping, blending into each other, crowded into too little time and too little energy. It represents the beauty and the burden of that ever-present fullness. It highlights the intertwining of tenderness and strength, of exhaustion and bliss, of resilience and courage that each woman holds.
What’s in my slow stitch project bag:
Reading:
Middlemarch by George Eliot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read this gigantic classic slowly, averaging 5-10 pages a day, so it took me a while to get through the full 900+pages. I remember telling my husband that around page 700 I finally felt like I was fully invested. I ended up LOVING the book despite it having a slow start (pretty typical for classics). The characters and their imperfections, the poor choices and societal expectations, the satire and happy endings. I can’t wait to watch the BBC miniseries!
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The entire literary world is talking about this series, and for good reason. It’s sweet and fun with surprising depth. A little silly, full of heart. I was live-texting my best friend as we read these pretty much at the same time over the last couple of months. Just the escapism I’ve needed, but now I’m really bummed to have to wait for book 9.
On YouTube:
In the Shop
Here’s to making the time for the things we love to do!
—Heidi