but first, here are my responses to St Casserole's "Cross meme".
Do you wear a cross? Yes…constantly. Never without it on an ordinary day.
Is there a particular time or place that you consider wearing a cross? The only time I DON’T wear it is if I’m wearing a low necked top for an evening out, and want to wear a different piece of jewelry. I wouldn't wear a cross on the outside of my clothes if wearing a collar...much too episcopal!
Where do you wear it? Around my neck, under my clothes.
What does the cross look like? Small silver cross (about ½”) with a tiny heart shape cut out at its centre.
Who gave the cross to you or did you choose it? LoudBoy…who asked me to pick a cross from a page in a catalogue a few Christmasses ago, and then found a pair of earings with the same cut out heart centre at Greenbelt, so that the choice was made for us both.
Is this your favorite cross, if so, why? Yes…I have one other that is special too, a Victorian gold one engraved with a leaf pattern. That belonged to my grandmother, and until recently it was my everyday cross…I once lost it down between some floor boards when visiting a friend at university. We had no idea where it had gone, and I had lost hope that it would ever be recovered when, some months later, her landlord arranged for a surveyor to come to assess the house for dry rot. He lifted the floor boards and lo, twas there. As Anne put it “When I survey the wondrous cross”.
I also have a cross made up of tiny seed pearls in a gilt frame: that one had belonged to my mother- in-law who gave it to me to wear on my wedding day, but it is too fragile to be a constant companion, and spends most of its time in my dressing table drawer. Anyway, I feel happier in silver, and the chain on LoudBoy’s cross is a more comfortable length for normal life…and looks fine with the neckline of most t shirts, - always a bonus.
I also love the presence of the heart at its centre…I always tell children who visit the church that Jesus on the cross is offering the whole world a hug, so that every cross that they see can remind them of how much God loves them. LoudBoy’s little cross emphasises this for me too.
What does wearing a cross mean to you? A constant reminder of God’s love…something I can touch and remember my identity as his child...a tangible prayer.
Enjoyed reading your answers to this, especially hearing about family crosses you've received. Thanks!
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