Craft Night!

Here it is - or was - Valentines Day and I find myself single - again.  In years past, I've often had parties to celebrate singleness, done Mystery Dinners, and all kinds of other fun evenings with lots of friends and great memories.  This year, I was feeling kinda down not knowing what I was going to do, because I'm still new here and still feel pretty dis-connected.  I don't feel like I have a flowing group of friends that I can call at the drop of a hat to hang out for the evening, go do something crazy or just hang out.  (For the record, I've been here since August and I've not had one friend (non-family member) come to my home or frankly, even know where it is)

Since I've been here, I've done my best to attend a weekly Bible study with some ladies.  I've struggled to feel like I fit in and feeling like I'm not liked.  More importantly, I feel like it doesn't matter if I'm there or not - which makes it even harder for someone who has struggled with social anxiety, since becoming chronically ill, to feel like they "belong".

Well, on Tuesday, after our study - I was talking with 2 other girls and discussing what we were going to do tonight, after dinner.  I offered to bring supplies to make bracelets.  I just kinda threw the idea out and it seemed to be well received.  So, as I started to plan for this (mind you, 48 hours ago) I realized that if I was going to do this - I wanted to bring out the 'good stuff'.  We, as single women, are often discounted as not valuable because we're not married.  The truth is - we're the 'good stuff' in God's eyes!  SO, knowing that I'd want to bring Swarovski, Preciosa and other high quality beads I realized that I didn't have enough for a group of  up-to 10.  I needed a plan change - and quick.  I came up with the idea to make pendants.

I brought some glass tiles, some 'glossy accents' and scrapbook papers and we went to work.  We had so much fun cutting things out, being creative and laughing!  I also told the ladies about my angst of not having enough of the 'good stuffs' to bring for the class, so I brought small little Swarovskis and put one on each of the girls bails (the little metal piece which makes a little piece of something into a pendant), before they glued them on. *OOOH I love me some phone photos - still sad my camera is holed up in my storage unit in Virginia =(*

It turned out to be a great night - full of home cooked food, hand crafted pendants and remembering that WE are God's Swarovski - Shining like the sun, for HIM!