Submitted by: Kristi
Materials: 14-count cross-stitch fabric, cotton thread
One of my favourite things to do in the time before life got way too busy was to sit down on a Saturday morning and complete a crossword puzzle in the weekend newspaper – back when reading the newspaper was the way to get caught up with the news. 2020 turned out to be a year when the news always seemed to be just one thing, on repeat: Covid-19, Covid-19, Covid-19. At first it seemed like it was all bad news and I began to tune it out. But as the weeks turned into months and the months into a year and counting with this virus in our midst, there was time to pay closer attention to the world around me as everything seemed to slow down, sometimes to an almost unbearable crawling pace. In this slowing down, I began to appreciate the good news stories created, ironically, by the trauma of pandemic life – the people who went out of their way to help others, the friends and family who grew closer rather than apart as they weathered challenges together, the patience that I developed and the resilience and ability to handle change that I saw in people close to me. These are the things that have helped me to feel as safe as possible during this time – knowing that humanity has the power to move in a healthier direction. This mask represents my wish for these positive things to keep happening even when the pandemic ends.