I’m in love with today’s contribution to the Mandalas for Marinke project, a mandala crochet cuff bracelet from Kate E. who describes herself on Instagram as “Wife, mother, daughter of God, follower of Christ, learner, dabbler.” She recently shared a Call The Midwife quote there that I thought was appropriate to share here:
And previously shared this Jeffrey Holland quote along with her own photo of her Mandalas for Marinke bracelet:
When posting there, she wrote, “I have had dark days. But these words always pull me back home. Let’s be there for each other. Everyone needs and deserves hope and happiness. Lives should not end in despair.”
Finally, Kate also created a second crochet mandala bracelet that she shared on Instagram. She explained that, “Both of the wristband patterns are by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk of LillaBjornCrochet. I adapted them a bit by using #10 crochet thread instead of dk yarn, and added several rows to the strap to make it long enough with the smaller thread.”
In her letter for this project, she writes,
“I chose to contribute to this project because I, too, am crippled by the dark beast of depression. It robs me of my light and my joy. Additionally, some of my children struggle with this monster. I love in constant fear for their lives.
For me, the repetition and counting required to follow a pattern can sometimes drown out the terrible thoughts that fill my mind.”
She adds,
“To Wink’s family, please know that you are not alone in your pain and fear, just as Marinke was never truly alone. You and she have many hearts with you. It has been said, “If for awhile, the harder you try, the harder ti gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived.”
Kate’s quotes by Jeffrey Holland come from the LDS.org website, so I thought I’d share some of the other links from the same site that deal with the topic of depression, some of which are available as audio in addition to text:
- “My Battle with Depression” by Mollie H. Sorensen, who writes, “My children were puzzled and saddened that their mother hardly ever smiled. I wanted to be happy just for them. But, although my depression was not constant, for ten years I suffered this nauseating, helpless feeling much of the time. My life seemed bleak and dreary, and I saw little hope for change.”
- “Awake My Soul! Dealing Firmly With Depression” by Steve Gilliland, who writes, “The first way to attack depression and feelings of inadequacy is to try to change what you’re doing so that you’ll feel better about yourself. The second way is to try to change your feelings about yourself so that it will be easier for you to do things differently. Both approaches are interrelated and both are important.”
- “When Your Child is Depressed” by Sean E. Brotherson who discusses four factors contributing to depression: experiential (like parents divorcing), cognitive, genetic and biochemical.
- “Why is My (Spouse) Depressed?” by David G. Weight, who says, “To a spouse able to control mood swings, depression may seem like an intangible state that should be pushed aside. But if your spouse is depressed—and there are millions who are—identifying, understanding, and then dealing with depression as an illness may be vital to the survival of your marriage.”
- “Upon the Top of the Waters” by Jon Warner, who experienced a spiritual understanding of depression and anxiety.
- “Depression” by Rebecca J. Clayson who discusses the spiritual side effects of depression.
This post is part of the Mandalas for Marinke project. You can see all Mandalas for Marinke posts here.