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“Mourning Into Dancing”
Joy Lewis
I created my quilt: “Mourning into Dancing” this year as one of my means of therapy. The pattern is a classic called “Churn-Dasher.” I chose this because I have a much-loved quilt made by my great-grandmother during the 1920’s in the same pattern. My color choices evoke an Amish look. This quilt holds a great deal of significance for me because I have struggled with a life-threatening mental illness this entire year. The black cloth symbolizes my depression, anxiety, and the seven weeks I spent in the hospital. The bright colors represent the promise God made to me that I will be healed completely in His own time, and the vibrant hope this wonderful promise contains.
This quilt is an act of praise to my God for His boundless mercy and grace that He bestowed upon me during my illness. The title of this work comes from Psalms 30:8-12; and illustrates both the struggles I have faced, and the hope for healing that I hold deep in my heart.
Psalm 30: 8-12
To you, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help.” You turned my mourning into dancing. You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy; that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
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