Epiphany & Dignity of the Child

Tonight we celebrate the vigil of the Epiphany of Our Lord. While most understand the Epiphany as the day Jesus was presented with gifts from the Magi, It is so much more. In the Roman Calendar, It only stands under the Holy Triduum and the Nativity of Our Lord in the rank of importance. As Dom Prosper Gueranger so beautifully states, "We must spend January 5 in preparing ourselves for the Manifestation which Jesus, the Angel of Great Counsel, is about to make to us of His glory. A few more hours, and the Star will stand still in the heavens, and the Magi will be seeking for admission into the stable of Bethlehem."

At the Nativity, Christ revealed Himself to mere shepherds, with nothing to give. At the Epiphany, Christ reveals Himself to Kings. Christ is for all, and let all give Him glory. Let us give our worship as the shepherds did, and let us give Him our treasures as the Magi did. While we cannot earn the salvation that He won for us, we can give back generously all that He has provided for us in this life.

Let us celebrate this joyous occasion and give Christ His due, offering Him what we have. Our time, talent, and treasure. Give to Christ what is his, without reserve, and He will be very generous with grace upon us. I can't help but find parallels with this important Christian holiday and my why for this whole hand made sewing business...

At times I have shared my heart, and the way it moves me even in the sewing world. As my father iterated on my wedding day, I have always thought and acted with my heart, and I needed someone to guard me from the risks that that entails, and celebrate the joys. In the sewing world too, I often draw empathetic conclusions and motivations when it comes to why I sew heirloom garments. It's not practical. Its not cheap, and it's certainly not the majority of mamas' cups of tea.

But there is a small sect of mamas and grandmamas out there who know exactly what I'm talking about when I say this craft is about more than appearance. It is about the dignity and purity of the child, and the tradition which exalts and preserves these aspects as much as possible. There is a reason we look to children and their wonder at the world with an endearing countenance.

Elevation and Dignity of Man

When the faithful have placed these things before their eyes, let them also reflect that God condescended to assume the lowliness and frailty of our flesh in order to exalt man to the highest degree of dignity. This single reflection, that He who is true and perfect God became man, supplies sufficient proof of the exalted dignity conferred on the human race by the divine bounty; since we may now glory that the Son of God is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, a privilege not given to Angels, for nowhere, says the Apostle, doth he take hold of the Angels: but of the seed of Abraham he taketh hold. (Heb. 2:16).

From the Roman Catechism

Now you can take this beautiful excerpt a multitude of different directions, but it especially holds true in my former thoughts, that children are the truest illustration of that elevated dignity realized... unimpaired by the crosses that adults bear. Then we must adorn them as such, and I truly feel in my heart that this is my mission in the sewing world, to give every mama an opportunity to adorn her child in the best of the best, simply because their dignity requires it. From the still quiet moments of a newborn embrace, to the joy of a toddler lighting up at mama's praise, these moments are captured and amplified in the best of fabrics, laces, and craftsmanship that is put into an heirloom garment, ready to be immortalized in a portrait and passed on to siblings and grandchildren, from generation to generation.