'Give Us This Day' Sampler

     The petty dramas of everyday life at the workplace and in the extended family tend to drag the spirit down. When I walk through this hallway at home, the simple fragment of a prayer in this cross-stitched sampler is uplifting and in my head I always finish the sentence, "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". Now I am not a fervently religious person, but I was raised a Catholic and being a romantic, I still relish the enduring and lyrical traditions, the rich symbolism, and the transcendent mysteries. Perhaps the fact that my grandmother did the needlework is also significant - she chose the colors and lovingly labored over a simple piece of linen to create a composition that is treasured several decades later.