aprons

I know that this is going to sound extremely wierd...well maybe not for those of you who know me.  As of late, I have found a lot of GRACE in the wearing of aprons; ones with long bottoms and bibs.  In days past, I thought aprons were crazy, why bother, use a towel to wipe your hands. 
The feeling of wearing an apron, wrapped around and tied in the front, in some ways reminds me of my grandmother and the love she brought through serving.  The apron is practical -keeping clothes clean, and whatever might be on my clothes off whatever it is that is being made.  Perhaps there is a certain power given through the apron, one of mothering (would not have thought I would ever say that, or share that).  I am confident to work in the kitchen, or unclogging a drain under the sink, or washing out stinky compost bins.
It's almost as if the apron signifies a calling, a vocation, an ordained way to serve my family, my friends, the community, strangers.  The approach becomes one of love as I am wrapped in a mantle, annointed for the task at hand.