Advent Reflection + Design Process

Every time we design a collection or a scarf, we sit down and consider the inspiration behind it. What is God saying to us in our prayer lives? What has been pulling on our hearts in contemplation recently?

When I set out to design the Holy Family Collection and scarf, I'd been praying a lot about how the Holy Family shows up in each family that exists. How I saw God working in my own family, which for me is deeply intertwined with grief, as my Dad passed away when I was very young. I remembered a story a family friend had told me.

Her name is Jennifer, and we had met her through our faith community when I was younger (maybe 6 to 8 years old). At one point my mom and her had been chatting while the kids ran around after mass (as kids have a habit of doing), and my mom mentioned the kind of heart condition my dad had and the hospital he'd stayed at once for a surgery before he passed away.

"This is going to sound crazy, but when was he there?" Jennifer asked my mom, wide-eyed.

My mom told her the date, and Jennifer asked, "Do you have a picture of him?"

My mom pulled up a photo on her phone and Jennifer's jaw dropped. "He was in the same room as my youngest! Right after John was born, we were in the hospital because of some complications. My son shared a room with your husband!"

She proceeded to tell my mom the story, and years later wrote it down for me on the anniversary of his passing. It's a gift I'll always cherish, and I went back to it while I was praying about the Holy Family and reading Patris Corde during the design process.

Within the beginnings of our process book for the Holy Family Collection and Scarf, I pasted lines of the story as Jennifer wrote it, along with family photos and artwork I had found that spoke to me as I worked.

I was looking through it again and it really moved me in preparing for Christ's birth (you'll see why as you flip through!). I hope it can be a little seed for you to water this Advent, too.

Soon I'll share the rest of the process book too, where I took these ideas and translated it into our designs! I'm very excited to show you. Until then...

Love,

Veronica