The character of the people... and quilting

`In the end, the state of the Union comes down to the character of the people. 

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors, 

ample rivers, and it was not there. I sought for it in the fertile fields, 

and boundless prairies, and it was not there. I sought it in her rich mines, 

and vast world commerce, and it was not there. 

Not until I went into the churches of America 

and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness  

did I understand the secret of her genius and power.'

Alexis de Tocqueville

Democracy in America-1835

I ran across the above interesting quote this morning when wondering what significant thing happened on July 2, 1954 - after a little research I found that day is when the idea of the separation of church and state put down roots. All these 57 years later, society reflects that separation in oh-so-many grotesque ways. I thank God again that my hope isn't in the government. My faith in people has plummeted, but God is the same trustworthy, righteous, holy One and that's more than just merely comforting it provides the hope I need to live. I can't tell you how many times I have shuddered at how evil the days have become. And I see no end to the madness. I expect it to continue to get worse until Jesus comes back and sets things aright. The head of this once great nation is diseased - how can the rest of the country not be diseased as well?

A beautiful sample of a Cathedral Window Quilt - not my work.

Anyway, I've been working on a cathedral window quilt that my mother started a few years ago. She has worked on it off and on for about 2 years. When she started that job, we joked about it taking 5 years to finish the quilt and surprisingly, it will likely take that long. There's so much work that goes into that thing it's bizarre. The quilt is beautiful - it's probably one of my favorite quilt designs since it's just basically an off white fabric base with "windows" of colored fabric. It's a quilt that's more a work of art you'd want to hang on the wall, than a quilt you'd want to take with you to picnic on a the park.