Create Explore Read: Spread the Chrsitmas Joy

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Spread the Chrsitmas Joy | Day 1

Joy from Sharon Srock

I’m not a very crafty person. When it comes to cool, homemade projects, my sister got all of the cross-stitching, oil painting, quilling, and sand sculpture genes God intended for our whole family. Name a popular handcraft that has come on the scene in the last forty years, my sister has done it, and done it well. Me, not so much.

But there was one year when necessity overcame my fat fingers. Our daughters were young and we’d just adopted our son, so I wasn’t working. Money was a little tight and even though we could afford to put gifts under the tree for our three children, presents for friends and the rest of the family just weren’t going to happen.

I went to my sister and asked her to show me, again, the cross-stitch basics. I stocked up on fabric and thread, bought a small book of quotes and got busy. Over the next few weeks, I matched unique quotes to the people on our Christmas list and made personalized samplers for all. As I finished with needle and thread, my husband took over with scraps of wood, saws, and paint brushes, constructing handmade frames for each project.

By the time Christmas rolled around, I had needle pricks and bandaids on all my fingers and a satisfying stack of gifts under the tree. When it came time to distribute those handmade gifts, I’ll never forget the reaction from friends and family. It gave me such joy to see the things I’d worked so hard on, treasured and displayed in their homes. When my mother passed on to be with Jesus several years later, I was blessed to be able to retrieve the one I’d made for her to display in my own home. Thirty years later, those gifts are still out there, and they still generate a hug or two during the holidays from friends who tell me that my piece of needle work was the best gift I ever gave them.

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Author Sharon Srock went from science fiction to Christian fiction at slightly less than warp speed. Twenty five years ago, she cut her writer's teeth on Star Trek fiction. Today, she writes inspirational stories that focus on ordinary women using their faith to accomplish extraordinary things. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Sharon serves her local chapter in the role of treasurer. Sharon lives in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma with her husband and three very large dogs. Her books include: Callie (Women of Valley View) and Terri (Women of Valley View), both of which are currently available. The Women of Valley View: Pam will release in early 2014.