Stories and Inspirations

Shawl Stories

This story come from a 'string' of emails, that we feel, tells a beautiful story. Prayer shawl makers often say to us

that as they create prayer shawls, through prayer and meditation they are sometimes offered 'whisperings'.

Ideas and insights that come to mind as they pray the shawls into being.

Here is an amazing story from Ann Goodwin of Lake Chapala, Mexico and her friends Bill and Janet.

In Ann's email she writes; " Hi Bill, Thank you for the update on Janet. Glad to hear how well she is coming along.

Michael and I have prayed for Janet all week while I knitted. I woke up early Monday morning and

I believe God said that I must make this shawl for Janet. It was finished at 11:40pm last night.

The strangest thing, kept happening, the name 'Mary' kept popping into my head when I was

praying for Janet.. Is there anyone in either of your families named Mary. Maybe it was Mary,

Mother of Jesus, who was around. I can't explain it. Attached is a poem/prayer written by a

member of a shawl ministry. If you go to www.shawlministry.com you will find other prayers and

stories of inspiration."

In Bill reply email he writes; "Dear Ann, Thank you, thank you, thank you. Mary is the name of Janet's Godmother/favourite aunt.

 Her Aunt Mary had the same problem as Janet. She had her aortic valve repaired by surgery about 55 years ago.

 Janet's Aunt Mary passed away about 25 years ago. Janet was thinking of Mary before and after her (Janet's) surgery,

 i.e., during the period that you were knitting the shawl. When Janet read your e-mail today, she immediately

 telephoned her parents in Montreal to tell them of your experience. They are convinced that it was

their Mary whose name your were receiving. Janet was very touched by what you have done. It appears as

though you were guided in a number of ways - the colour is Janet's favourite. She has asked me to tell you

how grateful she is for your kindness and your effort and the prayers offered by you and Michael.

Your ministry has meaning. Thank you for bringing it to St. Andrew's. Bill and Janet"

A Prayer Shawl's Story

Written By: Kim

Hi, I am a lovely and oh so soft, lavender Prayer Shawl, knit by the wonderful hands of Melinda Rucinski, earlier in the year.

I was blessed and then put in a storage tub with other shawls, waiting to be given to someone in need of our special warmth

 and prayers. I waited and waited to be taken out again, but no, here I stayed as other shawls came and went. Why wasn't

I being chosen I asked over and over? The hands that made me and the others who knit pondered the same thing. 
All year long I waited and waited, then, finally on December 22, I was picked and I was so happy! Kim received a phone call

from Anita (the owner of Studio Knit). Anita had been contacted by Debbie, who was looking for a prayer shawl for her

mother-in-law (Nancy); who was in Hospice with congestive heart failure. Anita knew that Kim was a knitter, and asked if she

 knew any one who knit prayer shawls; Kim told her YES, St Paul ’s had a Prayer Shawl Ministry, and they were meeting that very evening. 
Anita was given the church’s phone number to pass on to Debbie. Shortly there after, Fr. Eric called Kim

 and asked her to call Annie (Debbie’s sister-in-law) in order to arrange for her to pick up a shawl; she did so,

and invited her to come pick a shawl for Nancy . When Annie arrived, the completed shawls were laid out,

and it was suggested that she sit and hold each one, to find the one that would be right for Nancy . Annie did so,

and kept returning to Me; she said that I felt the most comforting. It was suggested that she, also, pick out

 pocket shawls for members of the family, and after she had done so, the Happy Clickers joined hands in

 a circle of prayer with Annie and me; the lavender shawl. After Annie left, the ladies then, knew why I had

 remained un-chosen for so long, I was just waiting for the right person to comfort. The Clickers have since

learned that Mrs. Lowry, went to join her Lord on Thursday, December 24th. They pray that I will continue to

comfort Mrs. Lowry's family of 4 sons and a daughter, spouses and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Blessings, The Lavender Shawl

December 2009 - In 2006, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and my father-in-law went into kidney failure.

My husband and I decided to leave my mother, four brothers, and five sisters and their families and move back to his

hometown near his folks. In two weeks, were three states away with our two little girls.  Six weeks later,

my big brother, Mark, was killed in a farm accident when he got caught in a round baler. His funeral was

ten years to the day that one of my middle brothers drowned at 17. He was more than a brother to us.

Our dad was abusive, and shortly after the birth of her eleventh child, our brave mother finally left Dad to keep us safe.

Mark became like a dad to us, and we thought of him as our "rock." My husband and I returned to our new home with numb hearts.

We had been wanting another baby, so I was glad to learn I was pregnant a month later. But I hadn't realized how stressed

my body was, and my pregnancy was very exhausting. My mother soon came to visit, and brought with her a lovely

peach prayer shawl given to her by St. Agnes Knitting Circle. Mom gave the shawl to me because she knew how especially

 close I was to Mark and thought I deserved it the most. That winter I spent many hours sitting my rocker with my shawl,

slowly healing from my grief. I felt so numb, yet the softness of the yarn against my skin always reminded me of life and joy.

(We had a little boy later in the Spring.)

Now folks are better, and we are moving back home at the end of this week. In packing, I found the card that came

 with the shawl, and having internet now, I decided to learn more about this ministry. 

Thank you for reaching out to grieving people like our family.
Molly Nightingale

Wednesday April 8th, 2009

98-year-old Maria D’Antuono

survived the L’Aquila earthquake in her hometown of Tempera, Italy.

She was determined to stay alive and in her time spent “doing crochet”.

She was trapped more than 30 hours buried under her bed.

The 12 Days of the Prayer Shawl Ministry's Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my PSM gave to me one community project times 3
On the second day of Christmas my PSM gave to me two knit toy bears
On the third day of Christmas my PSM gave to me three pairs of socks
On the fourth day of Christmas my PSM gave to me four baby caps
On the fifth day of Christmas my PSM gave to me five crocheted rings
On the sixth day of Christmas my PSM gave to me six needles clacking
On the seventh day of Christmas my PSM gave to me seven coupons clipping
On the eighth day of Christmas my PSM gave to me eight balls a winding
On the ninth day of Christmas my PSM gave to me nine ladies laughing
On the tenth day of Christmas my PSM gave to me ten patterns flying
On the eleventh day of Christmas my PSM gave to me eleven rows a 'ripping
On the twelfth day of Christmas my PSM gave to me twelve projects finished

Written by: Pat Jones - Prayer Shawl Ministry at Unity Church Centre Girard, OH
Dedicated to their 'greatest champion' Rev. Ric Schumacher

I received my shawl upon the passing of our son... Once a person learns of the shawls healing strength,

they are driven to knit one as pass on this joyous healing to another. I have found purpose in knitting in the "bleeps"

that are found in yarn. I leave those "flaws" in place and knit them right into the garment, then I point them out

to the recipient and remind him/her that those "bumps" are a reminder to us of our lives.

Often things run smooth and in tranquil comings and goings; however, there are those bumps in life,

such as the experience for which the shawl was made. If we use our shawls, wrap ourselves in Gods Love,

hold tight to His promises, things will become just like the well worn garment the shawl is meant to be.

I use a larger needle to get a loose knit...

that's so you can hold tight...

poke your fingers in the small holes..

cling to God...

Place all your troubles and worries in those holes...

Remember, with God's help, all things are possible!!

Jane Parsley ~ Andy's Mom

Frederick, MD

Yesterday I received my ' Prayer Shawl Companion ' book. What a very beautiful book.

I recently gave a shawl I knitted to a friend. I asked her if it felt different than other shawls to use.

On reflection she realized she kept it close by her all the time because of the comfort it gave her.

I understand that because that is how I feel about your book.  It too radiates the blessing in which it has been birthed.

My home feels richer and warmer because of the light and hope reflected by each contributor.  I love it.

The wonderful gift of the shawls is how blessed are both the creator and receiver.

Thank you to everybody who has been part of the process.

With loving appreciation Helen (Australia)

Friends invited me to officiate at a celebration in their home to bless their civil 
marriage. In preparation my husband and I took turns knitting a marriage prayer 
shawl. We knit it long enough so it could be wrapped it around the couple during 
the ceremony. The folded shawl which held our prayers, was passed among the 
people who added their words of blessing. The community blessings transformed a 
traditional Christian service into a radically inclusive one. Jewish friends offered 
Hebrew blessings, gay and straight couples added their hopes and prayers, old and 
young alike participated. As we wrapped the prayer shawl around the couple for the 
final blessing they could feel the love and prayers of everyone gathered there.

From: Lucy Brady - Westminster, MD

2008 - Earlier this year, a shawl ministry was started by members of our church, Shalom United Church of Christ, Richland WA, on Monday nights.

At the announcement of the ministry, I had just ordered a book of the prayer shawl patterns, but hadn't received it yet.

The book came, I was busy with other things on Monday nights and I never got involved with the ministry.

Then in May, I got sick. I had a multi-drug resistant e-coli infection. The doctors found a drug that the e-coli responded to.

The fevers were gone, but I still had pretty severe headaches. They decided to do a CT scan of my head.

They found a mass. Then an MRI was done to determine if it was an abscess or tumor. It was a tumor. I was sent to Seattle.

The doctors there treated the e-coli infection first, they didn't want to operate with the possibility of any other infections in the area.

A month later, in June, I returned to Seattle for the tumor removal. The surgery went well, the tumor was benign. Praise the Lord.

The day before I left for Seattle for surgery, my friend Mary Lu, who started the prayer shawl ministry at our church, called and asked if she

and John could come to visit us.  You see, Mary Lu had a shawl for me. It was knit with all the love and prayers of so many

people in our congregation.  I wrapped the shawl about my shoulders, feeling the peace, love and comfort that

only comes when you let go and let God take care of the things you cannot control.

The story doesn't end there. When I returned to visit my neurosurgeon for my follow-up in August, he diagnosed a bone infection

and I had to return the following week to have a section of my skull removed. The shawl went with me and continued to comfort me.

When I returned home, I had to receive antibiotics by infusion twice a day. I was basically immobilized for two hours, twice a day,

while the medicine was pumped into my system. I decided to use that time to pass on the gift of a prayer shawl.

It is crocheted with so much love and prayers and is going to go to a new mother in our congregation who had a baby

who was born at 32 weeks, 5 days gestation. I know she has already received one shawl from our shawl ministry,

but you can never have too many. Elliot is doing well, but he faces more than one heart surgery in the months ahead.

I pray the shawl will bring comfort to the whole family.

Thank you for this ministry. You have started something that is spreading love and prayers

throughout the world in a very tangible way.

Sincerely,
Donna Glass
Richland, WA

My Name is Yosrah Johnson and I am a sophomore at Northern Illinois University. On February 14, 2008 a sense of

unspeakable violence occurred at my school. A man opened fire in my lecture hall killing five of my classmates and

injuring dozens more. I was able to escape with some minor physical injuries but the emotional trauma is something I take

 with me everyday. While my school was in a state of grieving they opened up a place called the "Peace Room" where anyone

 can go and get away from everyday problems and reflect and pray. I myself has found the peace room to be very helpful.

It is so nice to just find a nice quiet place to sit and write and pray. Well one day I go into to the peace room to find beautifully

 crocheted shawls. I read the note and prayer that came with the shawls and tears came to my eyes. This act of genuine kindness

 touched my heart and made me realize that love and kindness still exists in our world even when we feel like it is not out there.

The prayer shawl honestly came when I was having a day where I thinking a lot about the tragedy and was having personal issues

 of my own. I would just like to thank everyone who put in their time and effort into making these beautiful prayer shawls

you have touched someone today in more ways than one and I know these shawls are going to helps others too.

Thank you for your prayers and blessings!

Forever grateful,

Yosrah Johnson
Northern Illinois University Student

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