2020 Stash Party #58 - A Split Panel Sympathy Card

 Hello, Crafty Peeps!

We lost a friend!  

We lost a friend to COVID-19.  Yesterday we learned that the fiancé of a friend has passed away.  They were to get married next year!  Every week his fiancée would bring my husband up to speed on the plans for her impending nuptials.  My husband and the groom-to-be would crack jokes about "brides on the edge" and the "posh pitfalls of married life!"   Our shopping trips to Aldi's, where they both worked, will never be the same.

They said they wanted to be married as long as we have been married (52 years.) They wanted to be as much in love as we are (on our good days!)  Now, he is gone!  We don't know what to say to her.  

We can't fathom that kind of loss.  It was only last year, at the urging of our daughter, that we sat down and had our wills drawn up.  The very thought of not being on this earth together is anathema to our souls.  What can we say to someone who has had their dreams ended so brutally and so abruptly?   I don't think I know how to comfort someone who is facing my greatest fear, being without the man you love!  The man who makes your heart sing!  I saw their love,  now I just see her pain, and it is so unfair!

I will repeat what I wrote in an earlier post:

I wish the creation of this card had not been necessary!  I pray that more people become serious about COVID!  It is sad when people who are taking every precaution to protect themselves and their families become the victims of those who believe they have a constitutional right to kill others through their indifference, hatred, and ignorance.

Sleep on, dear friend, and take your rest.

They'll miss you most, who loved you best.

In silence you suffered, with patience, you bore,

Until G-d took you home to suffer no more.

Hugz,

Chana Malkah

What's On Your Work desk Wednesday #601- Sympathy Card

Hello, Crafty Makers!

Welcome to another WOYWW Post!  I was unable to attend the Zoom crafting meet-up on Saturday, but I am sure it was a creative blast! Learn More About WOYWW  HERE!

This Wednesday finds me working on a sympathy card.  In this Covid-driven reality, we find ourselves doing more of these than ever.  

My husband loves to shop at Aldi's.  Over the years, he has developed a great friendship with the manager of our neighborhood Aldi store and also with her fiancé.  Last week, Binyomin expressed concern because he had not seen Kym in the store for over a week. He was worried that she might have contracted COVID.   Yesterday we learned that her fiancé had passed away.  My husband was devastated.  I keep fighting back the tears.  I keep admonishing myself to not ask, "why?"

This beautiful Prima 6"x6" Fairy Rhymes paper has been in my stash since  2012.  The bundle included flowers, buttons, two clear stamps, and other lovely embellishments.  It took a minute for me to finally decide which elements would work best in this project.  The split panel card technique is old school, and has passed from favor, but I am still a huge fan of the style. 

I have made all my design decisions with the sole exception of the arrangement of the flowers!  Maybe, by the time I finish typing this post, that too will be resolved.

Done!

I wish the creation of this card had not been necessary!  I pray that more people become serious about COVID!  It is sad when people who are taking every precaution to protect themselves and their families become the victims of those who believe they have a constitutional right to kill others through their indifference, hatred, and ignorance.

 I Have Only Just A Minute

 by Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

I have only just a minute,

Only sixty seconds in it.

Forced upon me, can’t refuse it.

Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it.

But it’s up to me

to use it.

I must suffer if I lose it.

Give account if I abuse it.

Just a tiny little minute,

but eternity is in it.

Mask up, it only takes a minute!

Hugz,

Chana Malkah

(Gracious Queen)

Margaret, 

because you asked:  Chana is the transliterated spelling of my Hebrew name.  The name "Hannah" does not exist in Hebrew. Hannah is the English translation of the Jewish text.

This article written at Harvard by another Chana, says it best!😀

You Can Call Me Chana

By Chana R. Schoenberger

"No one can pronounce my name correctly. Most people think it's "Shana" or "Chayna" or "Shanna." It's not hard, really: just say "Hannah," only with a guttural ch sound, like "Chanukah."

Even fewer people can spell it. So, like any unusual, foreign-sounding name, mine is somewhat of a handicap when leaving phone messages. When reporting, I spend at least half of my time on the phone spelling my name to secretaries.

"Hannah? H-a-n-n-a-h?"

"No, it's C-h-a-n-a. Chana. It's Hebrew," I explain patiently.

"Oh, with a C? Never seen it spelled that way before. That's pretty," the secretary says, obediently copying it down.

...There has never been another Chana in my class (although a Harvard classmate spells it Hanna). This uniqueness made it harder to blend in when I was a preteen and wanted to disappear into a crowd. But now that I'm older and value individuality, I appreciate the merits of not being just another Mary or Susan.

...Because of my name, my religion is one of the first things most people find out about me. 

Having a Biblical name also connects me directly to Judaism. Just as keeping kosher reminds me who I am every time I eat something, my name constantly reminds me and others that I'm Jewish.  One upshot of the difficulty non-Jews have with my name is the comfort I feel around Jews. After a summer of spelling my name, the visit of an Israeli cousin who could spit it out in full guttural glory was soothing. People who say my name right on the first try win my instant approval and trust.