Stitching with Jess

Jessica Savage is sharing the Language of Flowers, with a new chart each month. This time it’s the magnolia, whose blooms represent perseverence

Hullo! One thing I’ve clung to throughout this year as I’ve tried to learn new skills and navigate this ever-changing world is the value of perseverance. Like any skill, perseverance needs to be practised for it to become a habit, but it’s a habit that can change our lives for the be er. Luckily, there’s a beautiful flower thPatage represents such a quality in the Victorian meaning of flowers we call floriology – the delicate magnolia.

I have two port wine magnolias in my garden and the flowers literally smell like sweets – it brings me great delight whenever the breeze catches their scent and drifts it towards me.

Ge ing my magnolias to flower is also a test in perseverance! They are still young so they don’t flower much currently, but it allows me to utilise my new favourite word: yet. Whenever I find myself disheartened by a set-back or annoyed that my French knots still look sloppy (after all this time!) I remind myself to add the word 'yet' to the end of my lamentations to change my perspective on things. My French knots aren’t quite there… yet. My magnolia bush isn’t flowering well… yet. ‘Yet’ is such a magical word when it comes to the skill of perseverance and I find it makes all the difference for me whenever I start to feel a li le bit disappointed.

‘Yet’ is full of possibility! ‘Yet’ opens doors to progress and experiences and opportunity. ‘Yet’ allows me to not only understand where I am and what I need to work on, but it also stretches out its hand and offers a glimpse at what could be. ‘Yet’ reminds me, and can remind us all, that it’s ok to not be at your end goal, but that consistency will help you turn your ‘I can’t do this’ into a ‘I can do this!’

So, if you set some resolutions at the beginning of the year and find your enthusiasm is starting to wane, perhaps t1hrow a few ‘yet’s into thXe mSiTx!3‘Y7et0’ helps take the weight of expectation off your shoulders and lets you relax for a moment. Perhaps, like me, you may not have finished all the cross stitch pa erns that you promised yourself you would get done before starting anything new (I feel very called out!), but it’s ok! We’ve only not finished them… yet! Given more time and consistency, there’s nothing you

Stitch boldly! Jess