Dogwood::Dawn

A friend who grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, told me this story. Allen Lawrence Forte-I still remember you, I still love you, and someday my friend I hope that we will sit in our rocking chairs and rock together on a cloud and tell wild tales. Rest in peace, for you are remembered and loved.

Two thousand years and more ago, the dogwood was one of the largest, strongest trees in the forests. For that reason, it was used for many of the crosses on which the Roman soldiers crucified criminals and other miscreants of the Roman Empire. In about 33 A.D., the wood of the dogwood was used to make the crosses on which three men were put to death on a Friday afternoon in spring, in what is now called the Holy Land---a place that is so sacred, that it is holy for the believers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The legend holds that God, in his grief at the loss of his son, Jesus of Nazareth, was so distraught that he vowed that never again would the dogwood stand tall and strong. Instead, it would be a small, weak, gnarled and twisted tree, subject to disease. The dogwood would forever live in the shadow--the understory--of the great trees of the forest. As a reminder of its role in the death of His son, every spring the dogwood's blossoms would bear four petals in the shape of the cross. And at the tip of each petal would be a drop of blood red, in memory of the stigmata---the four places where Jesus was pierced on the cross.

The many wonderful quilts, art dolls and garments in the Myths and Legends Challenge can be seen online. Click here for a direct link.
I'm pleased to announce that my quilt won the Myth*ing Links Special Award; to visit The Myth*ing Links website, a treasure trove of myths and legends click here for a direct link.

Size:  33 x 28 inches; completed 2004.

This quilt was LOST o/a October 11, 2011,  in Lomita, California, after returning from an exhibit; more information is  on my blog  http://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/?p=6521.  If you see it, please contact me using the "Contact" page.