THE CHRONICLES OF CLOTHING

For the Love of Threads, a Work in Progress

• Titus 3:5-7 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

• The more years I live, the more I see clearly the hand of God in the weaving of life. As a lifelong lover of all things fabric, I see the threads, both vertical and horizontal, the up and down that anchors the fabric together. Even the good and not so good, the happy and the sorrowful, the winning and the defeat are still side by side on the loom. When we are young...we long for the “happily ever after”...even though that seldom happens. In retrospect, having been born in 1952, I can clearly see that rueful reality.

• The incredible transforming power of God is a “ washing of regeneration”. This is where our Creator takes our “fabric”, our rough and tumbled edges that are a mess and coming unraveled...and applies His masterful Hand to cleanse, to bind up the brokenhearted, and to regenerate us from our troubles and shape us more into the image of His dear Son. This is a deep but gradual process, just like the making of a garment from said fabric.

• I often think of my fascination with garments and how they affect my life, the refuge and haven they give me! I love the comfort of certain fabrics (especially flannel!) and being covered in a loving fabric embrace!

• With clothing, it is a given: right out of the laundry or clean clothes drawer, or right out of purchase of a new garment...it gets messed up, dirty, rumpled, wrinkled and less than “presentable “, often within a few minutes of wear.

  Yes??

• Life is rather untidy, both in the physical realm and the realm of the spirit.

  Some clothing is a “ fantasy”, some is “utility”, some is a uniform, some is “corporate professional “, some is “ bohemian wild person” ( or personne...) and I lean toward the latter, somewhat tempered by Elder age and blunt passage of time and experience…as per from hipster of 18 to 73 1/2, Conservative Elder. Life brings some steep lessons along the way!

• As per “messy” versus” “pristine”, I offer a big sigh...

  I went hunting in June for an extra Summer shirt at a local nice thrift store. I found a perfect roomy shirt, likely a gentleman’s shirt, loosely cut, lovely Delft-like blue shade in light cotton, with generous French cuffs! The price was moderate and I took it home with a song in my heart, handwashed and prepped for wear.

  Well...second time I wore it, it got marked on the lovely French cuffs... From my honorable work of watering some potted outdoor plants at my church, the rubber of the hose placed its paws on my cuffs. Immediate response from me...dismay!

  Later, I mused that honorable work to bless my dear church building...was worth a scuff on my cuff..

  ( A book title??? Scuff on my cuff)!!

  Why are we so obsessed with looking “perfect” when reality so rudely messes up our thoroughly demanded “order”… when we know from base experience that reality bites and can intrude?

  Women’s garments are especially obsessed with “maintaining the sexy” ( a ridiculous demand!) Buttons, bows, floppy ties, poufs, fluffies, bosoms, behinds, shoulder pads, stiletto heels, miniskirts slit up to there, shirts unbuttoned down to there…and the Grand Duchess of all demands, “LOOK YOUNGER!”

  You already know my blunt thoughts on all this look young nonsense! Is there anything worse than a twenty year old, looking askance toward a woman who is NOT twenty?

• Mind, this is centuries of women being told it is a grave moral failure to be affected by the passage of decades...and be affected by GRAVITY. It steams my grill.

• May I politely remind you who are younger than 73 out there...GRAVITY touches us all and you WILL get older, no matter what you desperately do. Yes, you can stave off some parts of it...but only temporarily. You can certainly care for yourself, your skin, your body, your mind and spirit...but this physical place is temporary.

  Hecks-becks, the effort spewed all over the place to stop the unstoppable...I would rather honorably step back from all that and live for Eternity with God!!

• When you read a bit about the practical history of clothing, one thing pops up immediately: protection from the elements was the first reason for Clothing. Humans are not covered in feathers or fur, like our animal friends. Cold, hot, wind, rain, snow, elements of privacy over generative parts...the common sense prevailed and humans dressed for survival. Then the dreaded “status” plops its furry butt into the mix and the “ better than you” holds court!

  Well, please GO AWAY!

  In a word, EWW and WHEW from W.E.W.!!!

• We are all the same under our clothes, I hate to tell ya...gorgeous or ordinary!

• I have spoken before about my own Boomer generation being horrified at the thought of exiting the decade of our twenties, as if turning 30 was some kind of awful thing! Absurd...but predominant over all rational thoughts and I myself had the same ridiculous emotions of all that in my own youth!

  While there are elements I do not particularly care for in Elder age...you do learn to roll with the punches more quickly, as a constant battle is debilitating.

  Advertising is relentless... WEAR THIS, TAKE THIS PILL, STOP DOING THIS, COMMANDS, CONDEMNATION, TALKING DOWN TO, as if we are suddenly idiot material. How many of theses advertisers are OLD??? (Yep, thought so…)

  Yes, I do remain quite aware of mental stuff... such as keeping the mind moving, keeping it sharp, keep physically moving, of staying in prayer and especially not carrying sorrowful behavior way past its due date. (Guilty…)

  I am learning more quickly what negative can do to short-circuit me. I have had a lifelong battle with negative. Thank goodness I have the Great Teacher to guide me, Holy Spirit!

• He is ageless and Timeless and He so generously gives me more than enough to spare and to share. I offer this same Helper for free, to all who will ask for help!

  Wendy Elizabeth Williams Friday, July 3, 2026

  Consider becoming a paid subscriber at $5.00 a month. The yearly cost is $60, if you prefer that way...but I actually prefer the $5 a month, if possible, so there is no snagging if you decide you have to step down from a paid subscription. Less confusing and less costly for me. You can subscribe easily on my Substack page and if you find you can no longer be a paid subscriber, you can do so via Substack itself or contact me via a direct message on Substack Notes and I will help you. I know financial things can be gnarly for many of us in general and I take not a penny for granted! No pressure on you!

  --Consider donating any amount from $1 and up on my Ko-fi page at Ko-fi.com/wendyelizabethwilliams. You can donate one time, periodically or monthly, as you see fit. I am also enjoying writing a shorter weekly piece on my Ko-fi page, focusing mainly on my lifelong love of fabric, garments, beauty and the centuries- long battles between men and women. After I get my weekly Substack longer piece up on Friday nights, I later place my shorter Ko-fi piece up on Notes. Tonight’s short piece on Ko-fi continues my ongoing theme about my lifelong love of garments. “The Chronicles of Clothing: why we are drawn to certain garments!”

  --Please pray for me! Thank you, Wendy