Dogwood and Easter

The Dogwood tree is one of my favorite trees. We have one in the front yard and one in the back. The Dogwood trees always bloom just in time for Easter. They produce beautiful flowers to remind us of God’s promise and whoever looks upon it will never forget.

You see, there is a legend behind the Dogwood tree. The story is not biblical fact but can be used as a tool to teach us some of the meanings of Easter. 

The Dogwood tree used to stand tall, straight and strong. It is said to be the timber used to build the cross that Jesus was crucified on. This made the tree sad so God promised it would no longer grow tall or strong enough to carry the weight of anything else. This is why you never see a straight branch on a dogwood tree and the branches are weak and fragile. 

The blossoms of the Dogwood tree are white to represent purity and in the shape of a cross. The outer edges of the petals are brown or red with tiny holes. This represents the nails that were driven through Jesus hands and feet and the blood he shed. 

The Center of the flower represents the crown of thorns that was worn on Jesus head. 

Though this legend of the dogwood tree may or may not be biblically true, the story that God sent his only son to to die on the cross for you and me, is.

You can read about the crucifixion of Jesus in the books of the Bible, Matthew, Mark ,Luke and John. 

Let’s remember the true meaning of Easter.....

And then let’s eat some of those Reese’s peanutbutter eggs!

Crochet Sneakers

My neighbor ran over to me on New Years Day to tell me that she had just found out that she will be a grandmother in July. She was so excited. Her son will be giving her a grand baby.

As soon as she found out the gender of the little human, she was quick to let me know. “It’s a boy!” Then she said “I want you to crochet a little hat for him”. “Sure”, I said, but I went beyond just a little hat. I made some little sneakers to match. I used black because it made me think of the style of the father.

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I have tried to make little Converse inspired sneakers in the past but could never get it right. I had given up on ever trying again but I could not stop thinking about accomplishing the challenge. I picked up some white and black cotton yarn and gave it another shot. I tried not to get in a hurry this time and just did them a little at a time. It took me three days at about an hour a day. The first day I just worked on the two layered soles. Day two I spent about 30 minutes and crocheted the toe and tongue part. Day three, I finished with the black part of the shoe and shoe laces. 

I like how they look but they turned out a little bigger than I had expected. They are about 4 inches long,  so I made the little black beanie hat a little bigger than new born. If the baby is born in July, It should be grown into them by August or September. Perfect for Fall. 

My neighbor does not know that I have made this little set yet. I will be taking it over to her sometime before June. This is when they are planning a baby shower. I hope she likes what I made for the little dude.