Memories Winter Shawl

This is my love song to the memories of precious people in our lives.

Let me explain. 

First: the shawl deets.
This is a wide and cozy-warm winter shawl with a hand carved wooden pin (made by my dear husband!), with beautiful blue buttons made by Ceramics Tocoton in Osaka. The shawl is woven from Belgian cotton, wool, silk, camel, Italian silk, and wool from my own prefecture of Nara, all on a cotton warp. The inlays are blue wool, antique American quilt remnants, and cotton from my two cotton plants. 
This baby is WARM and SOOO soft!

It's super special to me because of the tangible connections to nature, relationships, and my world. How precious to wear something with history, handmade accents, fibers from around the world. Is it just me? :)

Now for the deeper meaning.

In 2025, I lost two people in my life who held really dear and long-lasting memories. The first was my Aunty Jean. She was my great-aunt, but she had been a special part of my childhood and growing up years. She was always laughing, had a sassy response for everything, would get down on the floor and play with us, taught me a few words in Mandarin, and showed me a life of joy.

The second was a guy who was a couple of years older than me who I knew from childhood. He attended the same church I did, and was one of the first people I knew who had a disability. He had an infectious smile, and while I hadn't seen him for several years, his passing was an utter shock.

Both of these dear people passed within a week of each other, and while I processed their deaths, I thought a lot about grief. Grief for an expat is a strange beast. There's a distance that makes things both easier and harder. And grief for a Christian holds the hope that death is not the end, but a "see you later." Heaven felt a little more real knowing those two are there.

To me, grief is in shades of brown and tan. It's winter colors, winter grass, winter winds. It's not something to be rushed through, but something beautiful can be made of it even while in the midst of it. And blues in this piece represent the memories of the precious lives in ours. The stories and the bittersweet. Lament and hope.

So I share this winter shawl with you because it holds something special. Tears, memories, hope. There's beauty in winter, and yet spring is coming. There's tears now, but joy comes in the morning. Wear it and remember, lament and hope.