Soulful Knitting Ministries

Raving about Ravelry

2011-01-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

Ravelry.com is without a doubt my favorite online knitting resource. In fact, I just wrote an article on what Ravelry is and why I love it. Apparently I'm not the only one who loves that site. Started in May 2007, they welcomed their 1,000,000th member in November 2010! If you're not familiar with this wonderful social network for knitters and you want to see how it works, visit me at Ravelry.

Knitting Vacations

2011-01-13T19:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this topic doesn't necessarily have anything to do with charitable knitting, but even knitters need a vacation right? It's a dream of mine to someday host a soulful knitting cruise, either to Alaska or New England in the fall. But until then, there's no reason not to combine a knitting theme with your next vacation. I just posted an article sharing some ideas on knitting-themed vacations.

Eco-friendly knitting

2010-11-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for tips on saving money and the environment when you knit, check out my new article at Suite101.

8 Shawls

2010-10-21T19:42:00.000-04:00

Today I delivered eight prayer shawls and a signed copy of my book to a woman who works with a local domestic violence shelter. I am so thankful to have found someone that I can give the prayer shawls to directly, knowing that she will see that they get to women who may be blessed by them.

New Look

2010-07-02T16:25:00.001-04:00

Happy Summer.

I hope you like the new look. Now that Blogger has some decent template design options, I decided it was time for a change. But that's not all... Over the next couple of months I'll be updating and expanding my links, rolling out some new material, and making a sincere effort to post more regularly.

I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to post comments, thoughts, suggestions, useful links or any other knitting-related information you'd like to share.

Blessings!

Me time

2010-06-26T11:52:00.000-04:00

Knitting for others is a joy. Yet every now and then I get the urge to make something for myself. I used Caron's new eco-yarn that replaced Simply Soft. It really is wonderful and is supposedly made in part from recycled plastic bottles.

Knitters of every level of experience can make a difference

2010-05-22T07:54:00.000-04:00

Today I came across a wonderful charity that provides "comfort scarves" to women in shelters for abused women. While most of their donations are in the Southern California area, they are expanding throughout the US and internationally.

One of the things I like about this type of project is that the scarves (which can be knit or crocheted) can be as simple or as complex as you want to make them, can be completed quickly, and provide an endless variety of options. If you want to learn more, visit Handmade Especially For You.

Wind Knitting

2010-05-05T20:36:00.000-04:00

Just when I thought I'd heard of every possible knitting-related invention, I was shocked today to discover wind knitting. Some incredibly ingenious person has designed and built a small roof-top machine that knits by wind power. It knits a circular tube, which is cut periodically and stitched by hand to secure the edges, and viola - you have a scarf! Don't believe me? See for yourself!

I just have one thing to say about this... I WANT ONE!!!

Hats for Soldiers

2010-04-25T12:31:00.000-04:00

As the proud mother of a daughter serving in the US Army, the story of this knitting project really touched me. Regardless of your views on our current conflicts, our men and women who put their lives on the line each and every day to support the freedoms we enjoy are to be commended. They deserve our respect and our gratitude. Here's a wonderful way to support them.

Tips for buying yarn on e-bay

2010-04-16T11:11:00.000-04:00

A "real knitter" never has enough yarn. A real knitter also knows how expensive our knitting addiction can be. E-bay is a great place to find some wonderful yarn bargains. Yet it's not hard to be seduced by apparently great prices and end up getting burned. Trust me, I know. But there's help. KnittingforCharity.org offers some great tips on buying yarn on e-bay.

Combining knitting and football

2010-02-10T17:50:00.001-05:00

Yes, I did say football. The 2012 Super Bowl Committee is looking for volunteers to knit 8,000 blue and white scarves, one for each of the volunteers participating in the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis. If you're looking for a unique opportunity to support the NFL, consider Super Scarves.

Yarn wigs for charity

2010-01-04T21:45:00.000-05:00

Click here to read about a wonderfully creative, funky and fun way to use yarn to help others. A woman in DC is teaching volunteers to make wigs from brightly colored yarn for children who've lost their hair due to chemo and other medical reasons. Awesome idea!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

If you've been knitting with me at all lately you've heard me talk about the newest addition to my family. I'm adopting a cairn terrier, Bailey, who will be coming home sometime around the end of February. Is he adorable or what?

My New Year's prayer for you

2009-12-31T10:59:00.003-05:00

This is my New Year's wish for each of us...

Support young knitters

2009-10-08T20:21:00.000-04:00

It's wonderful seeing young girls knit. It's even more wonderful to see them using their knitting gifts to help others. Take a look at this wonderful project.

My new home

2009-09-26T08:50:00.002-04:00

I've been promising an update on my homebuying experience and I wrote it this morning. Since it has little obvious connection to this ministry or knitting, I decided to post it on my other blog. Please feel free to read it there.

Straightening circular needles

2009-09-16T19:53:00.001-04:00

A frequent complaint I hear from knitters (especially new knitters) making one of our prayer shawls is that the circular needles curl up and get in the way of their knitting. Because the shawls are knit lengthwise (175 stitches cast on), this could be a bit of a problem if you're not used to working with circulars. Addi offers some great advice for straightening circular needles.

Another chemo cap charity

2009-08-29T07:38:00.003-04:00

Knitting and crocheting chemo caps seems to be a favorite charitable knitting project. The caps are usually quick, inexpensive and portable projects. And whose heart doesn't break every time they see a child or woman who's lost her hair during treatment? Knots-of-Love has some wonderful chemo cap patterns and I'm sure they'd love to have any that you'd care to donate.

A very special prayer ministry

2009-08-18T21:01:00.000-04:00

I've often commented on how amazed I am about the generosity of some people, and how blessed we are to have the Internet, when it's used properly, of course. Today I discovered the most amazing website. Called TweetYourPrayers.com, anyone in the world can send a prayer via Twitter to this site and they will print your prayer, along with many others, and hand-deliver them to the prayer wall in Jerusalem, for free!

My first instinct was to jump on my Twitter account and send a prayer. Now would be an especially good time to do that since I put an offer on a home today. But, I haven't been able to send a prayer yet. Even though it's free, and presumably I could send as many prayers as I want to, there's something incredibly sacred about this ministry. I refuse to just send any prayer to be placed on that holy wall. I'm going to have to think long and hard about what my prayer will be. The fact that I feel that way reminds me how blessed I truly am.

Lion Brand offers free patterns

2009-08-16T21:00:00.003-04:00

Great news! Lion Brand is now offering all of their online patterns for FREE. They have some great patterns, for both charity knitting and other things as well, and free is always great. Be sure to check out their pattern finder at LionBrand.com. Enjoy!

A soulful knitting testimony

2009-08-10T19:20:00.004-04:00

I've recently started corresponding with a knitter from England (I live in Virginia) who is exploring the possibility of starting a knitting ministry in her church. Vivienne's e-mails have been so uplifting and inspiring, and quite timely with respect to some specific things I've been praying about.

With her permission, I'm sharing the e-mail message I received from her this morning:

I had to write and tell you my news. I have started to knit a prayer shawl(on my own). I dragged out my stash of wool, sorted through it, found some lovely soft wool in browns, pinks and beige. I am knitting stripes with more pink than the browns, as I have more pink wool. I just sort of made it up as I went along, dedicated my work to Him, prayed as I knitted and on Sunday, took it to church with me and knitted through the meeting. There is a young art student who attends my church, she sits at the back every week and paints, it's her way of glorifying God. So I sat on the floor, just behind her, and we had a creative huddle! Her painting, me knitting.

I experienced something I didn't expect though, I felt God's love moving down my arms into my fingers and into the shawl. This is all new to me, but I do feel blessed that God has given me this gift, to be able to create something beautiful and Holy out of 2 sticks and some string. :)

You have no idea how excited I am, this is day 3 of my prayer shawl experiment, and already God has opened my eyes to ways of serving Him I never dreamed of.

What a wonderful expression of what Soulful Knitting is all about.

100-year celebration

2009-08-07T18:06:00.000-04:00

Happy 100th Birthday to Muriel Dale of England. She's knit over 1,100 teddy bears for Teddies for Tragedies, an organization that sends the knitted bears to children all over the world. Now that's a Soulful Knitter!

Dealing with stains on your knitting

2009-08-07T07:13:00.003-04:00

If you've been knitting for a while, I'm sure you know how frustrating it is to find a spot on something you've made. In that first split second, you're reminded of all of those hours you spent knitting/crocheting that sweater. According to a tip on LionBrand.com, a small mixture of mild soap or shampoo and water dabbed on the spot should remove it. This supposedly will work on all fibers, but I obviously can't guarantee that, but it may be worth a try.

Need another excuse for knitting?

2009-08-05T06:26:00.000-04:00

According to research at the Mayo Clinic, knitting is believed to delay memory loss. An article published in BBC News states that "Those who had during middle age been busy reading, playing games or engaging in craft hobbies like patchworking or knitting were found to have a 40% reduced risk of memory impairment."

Even though I've decided that "middle age" doesn't begin before 70, I'm adding this to my list of reasons why I love getting my knitting on!

So many charities, so little time

2009-08-02T11:38:00.003-04:00

Here's a list of knitting charities compiled by Interweave Knits that covers practically any group or any type of project that you might be interested in. If you're not already doing so, please commit to dedicating a portion of your knitting time to knitting for others. It's a wonderful way to bless someone else with your talent and generosity.

If you're aware of other organizations not on this list, please feel free to post them with a link to their website here.

Planting seeds

2009-08-01T09:53:00.005-04:00

This morning I submitted my book to an official literary agency. If I stopped to think about it, I'd probably be nervous. But, I'm not stopping to think about it.

I'm learning to plant as many seeds as I can, in as many fertile spots as I can. I water and fertilize them with prayers and then wait to see how God chooses you use them. If they bear fruit for me, great. But if they bear fruit in the lives of others, even better!

My biggest knitting project yet

2009-07-31T19:26:00.003-04:00

Confession. I don't spend all of my knitting time on charitable projects. Sometimes I decide to take on a challenging project. Last fall I made this afghan as a Christmas gift to a very special person in my life. It took months, but I think the end result was worth the effort. I know he was.

If you're interested in the pattern, it's called Lovers Knot Afghan, and can be found free at Lion Brand's pattern finder.

Coming home

2009-07-29T22:46:00.001-04:00

Hello,

I've been away from this blog for several months now, but I haven't stopped knitting or this ministry. Lots has been happening. There are several exciting new developments in the works, I've met some wonderful people and have some moving stories to share, and I'll be announcing some exciting soulful knitting-related events soon.

I'm spending much of August preparing to relaunch my book, The Joy of Soulful Knitting. Initial interest has been amazing, so if you haven't read it, please do. You'll enjoy it. It's also a great discussion tool for knitting groups/ministries, so please pass the word.

Please plan to come back soon so I can bring you up to date on my soulful knitting journey and you can join me along the way.

Blessings!

Knitting against all odds

2009-04-07T23:33:00.004-04:00

According to an article in today's Telegraph (UK), a 98-year-old woman who was pulled alive from amidst the rubble left by the devestating earthquake in the town of L'Aquila in Italy told rescuers that she spent the time knitting while she waited 30 hours to be saved. Incredible.

Divine appointments

2009-03-30T18:51:00.009-04:00

I love divine appointments, especially the unexpected ones that happen when I do something that I know I need to do, but don't really want to do. It's always nice to be reminded that God can turn virtually any situation into an opportunity for a blessing.

Last week I attended a banquet for work. Despite the free food, I really didn't want to go, but it's part of my job, so off I went. Being an introvert, I was not at all happy when my boss asked me to sit next to the guest speaker's wife to keep her company. I had no doubt that she was a lovely woman, but I'm just not good at small talk. But again, it's part of my job, so I smiled and pulled up a chair.

Almost immediately I knew that this was no ordinary obligatory seating arrangement. It didn't take long for us to discover that we share a passion for knitting. What was even better was to realize that we both belong to knitting ministries at our churches. Imagine our surprise when we invited each other to our respective knitting groups, only to realize that our churches are no more than two miles away, on the same street!

Needless to say, I had an absolutely wonderful time getting to know more about my new knitting friend and sister in Christ. I'm looking forward to knitting with her very soon and am so excited to see what God has in store for us. After all, our meeting was no accident.

On the job knitting

2008-10-08T20:42:00.002-04:00

One of the many things that I love about my new job is the fact that I can sit outside while the weather is still nice and knit during my lunch hour. This picture doesn't do the gardens justice, but I took it with my cell phone while I was sitting outside today. What a wonderfully relaxing place to do knit!

Prayer shawl patterns

2008-09-20T07:22:00.000-04:00

Lion Brand has a large selection of prayer shawl patterns. The best part is that they're all FREE!

New book preview is available

2008-09-19T19:22:00.002-04:00

Finally, I've been able to create an online preview of my book. Please stop by and take a look.

I'm going to be using the book as the basis of a new knitting ministry that I'm starting at my church next month. As part of that process, I'm going to develop a Facilitators Guide, which I'll make available at my online bookstore for those who are interested in starting a similar knitting group in your area. Please send an e-mail if you're interested in starting a group and if so, what types of content you'd like to see in the guidebook.

A new Soulful Knitters group

2008-09-15T19:50:00.003-04:00

It's been a long time coming, but I'm pleased to announce that I've finally found a home for Soulful Knitters. If you live in the Richmond VA area and are interested in joining us to knit prayer shawls, we'll be meeting at a church in the Mechanicsville area. We'll be meeting monthly on the second Saturday of each month from 1:00 to 3:00. I'll be reading from my book and will even sign your copy! :)

E-mail me for more information or to register.

Coincidences or part of the plan?

2008-07-09T17:54:00.005-04:00

God continues to direct this ministry in amazing ways. Donations and offers to knit prayer shawls continue to come in, for which I am truly grateful. Now that my daughter is not around to help (she's stationed overseas in the Armed Services), it's been hard to keep an inventory of "shawl balls" on hand to give to volunteer knitters. And, because I'm currently unemployed, it's also been too costly to send yarn out to volunteers. So, I've been continuing to do what I can, when I can, with the hope of starting a prayer shawl knitting group in the fall.

That said, things have still been happening. In June, some new friends hosted a shawl ball winding party at a Red Hat Society meeting. There were about a dozen wonderful women in attendance and we had a great time. But in addition to the fun, something amazing happened as well. After sharing my story about how this ministry got started, particularly my own story about being an assault survivor and forgiving my attackers, a woman at the event asked if men could participate in the ministry. It was an interesting question, and one I'd never even considered. I assumed that she was about to admit that her husband or boyfriend was a closet knitter.

But to my utter amazement, she told us that she is a prison counselor and that she has taught a group of sexual assault offenders to knit and crochet and that they are now making items for charity. She said that given the focus of this ministry, she thought that her group members would be especially interested in knitting prayer shawls! What do you think the odds are that she and I would end up at a small party with something this significant in common? I'd say this was definitely a Divine Appointment.

Today I attended a major conference at my church. I decided to take my knitting and was sitting in a relatively isolated area near the back of the church waiting for the next session to start. A polite young man sitting two rows behind me asked me what I was making. From the moment I told him, I realized that this was another Divine Appointment, and he did too. He asked if he could purchase a prayer shawl for a woman he knew. Although he didn't say it in so many words, I knew in my heart that it wasn't for his mother or his girlfriend, but rather for a woman that he had hurt deeply at some point in the past, and for which he was deeply repentent. He did share with me that he'd been recently released from prison, had accepted Christ, and was searching to find the purpose that God must have for his life. Before I told him about the prison ministry idea, he told me that he wanted to learn how to knit so that he could help. Again, I ask, what are the odds of something like this happening? Coincidences? I think not.

The book is here!!!

2008-04-16T18:25:00.006-04:00

At long last, the book is finally available! It's been a long journey, but it's been worth it. Some of you know that I thought this book was done three years ago, yet each time I was ready to release it, I'd run into one brick wall or another - I guess it was God's way of telling me that the time wasn't right yet. As it turned out, there were more lessons I learned and as a result, I added several chapters that weren't in the original version.

Some of you may also know that I changed my name after printing about 50 copies of the first edition of this book, so if you were to search for the book on Google, you might still see it listed under my former name too. So, in answer to a question that's bound to arise, I did not steal someone else's work. I underwent a legal name change. Who knows, maybe those original 50 copies will be worth something someday! :)

I hope that you'll visit my bookstore and consider purchasing a copy. And while you're there, pick up a few copies for your knitting friends and/or your knitting ministry. If I may say so myself, I think it would make a wonderful gift - and just in time for Mother's Day! If you read it, I'd love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to leave comments here and/or at my bookstore.

Since providing support to women who have been victims of sexual violence is a primary mission of Soulful Knitting Ministries, and because I live in Virginia, I've decided to donate a portion of the proceeds of book sales to the Virginia Department of Social Services' Office of Domestic and Sexual Violence. I'm also thrilled to report that by the end of this month, I intend to donate a dozen prayer shawls to this wonderful organization. Thanks to all of you who through your prayers, your knitting, your yarn and financial contributions have made this project possible.

Yarn-winding party

2008-04-07T19:00:00.005-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came out on a cold, damp and dreary Saturday for a yarn-winding party. The get-together was hosted by the wonderful ladies, and men(!), of Knots for Love, the prayer shawl ministry of a church in Glen Allen, VA. We spent over three hours cutting, knotting and winding "shawl balls" to be used to knit prayer shawls. In addition to providing great fellowship and lots of laughs, the food was great too!

Still taking a break

2008-03-26T19:43:00.002-04:00

I'd hoped to be back to blogging by now, but a lot's going on on this end, and I just haven't had the energy to even think about blogging, much less actually do it. I hope to be back soon, so please don't give up on me completely. Happy Knitting!

I'll be back in a few weeks...

2008-02-15T16:49:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to do better with my blog etiquette by announcing that I probably won't be posting for the next few weeks. I was laid off from my job unexpectedly the day before Valentine's Day so needless to say, I've got some new priorities on an already busy plate right now.

I've known for some time that this job wouldn't last for a number of reasons, but every time I was asked why I hadn't left yet, my reply was that God hadn't told me to yet. I said that when He told me to leave I'd go, and the wait for His direction on what to do next. I think it's safe to say that that time as come. Despite my anger and pain over the way the situation was handled, I am confident that this was a blessing and that God has something much bigger and better in store for me, even though I don't have any idea what that is at the moment. He's blessed me in so many ways in this past year, that I'd be foolish to think that He would leave me now.

I'm hoping to get caught up on some knitting. I'm almost finished with a dozen that I'm planning to deliver to a local sexual and domestic violence agency soon. I've also gotten some great yarn donations so I'll be winding a lot of yarn balls with my daughter when she comes home to visit from Iraq at the end of the month (YEAH!!!).

So, even if you go away for a while because I'm not posting regularly, please check back every now and then because I believe that God is just about ready to take this ministry to the next level, and that straightening out my work situation was the last challenge to making that happen.

Be blessed!

Sydney

A site that's always good for a laugh

2008-01-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

Avid knitters should really appreciate this site. I remember to check it out every few months and am never disappointed, so I've decided to add it in the sidebar. Enjoy, but be careful if you're viewing it at work!

My #1 fear

2008-01-19T06:38:00.001-05:00

One day earlier this week I posted a list of things I want to do before I die on another blog I write. One of my last entries was my hope that God would give me the courage to get over my extreme fear of public speaking so that I could one day to a series of motivational speaking engagements, or perhaps something even more timely, like a book tour for my upcoming book!

In a former life, I did quite a bit of public speaking, mostly in a corporate setting. I usually did alright, and I even think my secret was safe. Because I was well-prepared, I doubt that people knew that I was utterly mortified the whole time - stomache pain, chills, sweaty palms - the works. I'd rather go to the dentist than speak in front of a crowd. But, I have a testimony, and I believe God wants me to tell it. So, I decided that if that's true, then He'll have to give me the courage and the strength to do it because I don't have it on my own.

Less than 24 hours later, I was asked to speak at a women's knitting retreat at a local church next Saturday.

So, of course I said yes, before my nerves had a chance to weigh in. It wasn't until the next morning as I was getting ready for work that the thought struck me - what on earth am I going to speak about? Instead of panicing, I decided to pray. Almost immediately, I had to run and get a pen and paper because God was giving me the outline of my remarks. My immediate reaction was tremendous thanks to Him for answering my prayer so quickly. My next thought was frustration and shame - at myself - for all those times I tried to figure things out on my own, and only screwed things up.

Design on a dime

2008-01-17T07:17:00.000-05:00

I'm furiously working to finish a dozen prayer shawls that I'm donating to a network of sexual and domestic violence shelters at the end of the month (more on this later), but in between shawls, I'm working on a belated Christmas presents for my Mom and Dad. Mom wanted a brown afghan (not very exciting, I know). I'd just finished knitting a big black one and I was hoping for something a little more interesting, but when you have parents that have everything... well, you know how that goes.

So, I knew that Mom wouldn't want me spending a lot of money on this, so I went to Wal-Mart and walked around the yarn aisles for a while trying to come up with a plan. Of course, they didn't have enough of any one color in stock to make an afghan, and since it was already the week before Christmas, I decided that it was time to get creative. So, I bought what I hope is sufficient yarn of 3 shades and textures (but all with no dye lots, just in case) and decided to mix things up a bit.

Here's the result:

Love is a verb

2008-01-13T12:57:00.000-05:00

It's not often that a blog post moves me to tears, but this one did today. In it, WillThink4Wine (I love that name) writes so eloquently about the true meaning of love. I couldn't agree with her more when she writes that "I believe that when someone really loves you, really values you deeply, the words "I Love You" need never be spoken. You will feel the love, all the way to the core of your being."

WillThink4Wine's post reminded me to embrace my relationships with an open mind and an open heart, remembering that not everybody who says "I love you" really does, and that sometimes those who really do, don't say it with those words. It also reminded me that the same holds true for me.

My Zen of Praise

2008-01-12T07:18:00.000-05:00

This week, I purchased an MP3 player, a Zen by Creative Media Source. It doesn't look like much, and costs much less than the popular iPod (less than $40 at WalMart), but after just a few days, I can't imagine how I lived without it. The night I bought it, I spent a few hours downloading my favorite jazz/latin/contemporary praise and worship songs. So far, I have 98 songs by artists such as Donnie McClurkin, Salvador, Jonathan Butler, Ramsey Lewis, Yolanda Adams and many more.

My BOSE stereo system in my car died a horrible death nearly a year ago and the cost to replace it is more than my car is worth, but that was probably a blessing because now when I'm in the car, I'm listening to my new playlist. Now when I'm walking, my Zen and my camera inspire me to find God in unexpected places on my travels and to try to capture some of that on film. This morning I realized that I could copy the same playlist to my PC, so I'm listening to it as I blog. Some may consider this the "lazy woman's way to pray", and perhaps they're right. But for me, it works. I can't help but thank God and praise Him when I'm listening to this music.

My daughter is coming home for 2 weeks next month for my birthday - she's stationed in Iraq. We decided to wait and exchange Christmas presents when she comes. She doesn't need much, and certainly can't drag around a lot of stuff given where she is. When I created my Zen of Praise, I realized that it would be the PERFECT gift for her. It's much smaller than a credit card and easily fits in the palm of a hand. My version (the least expensive one) holds approximately 250 songs, and will play for 10 hours on a built-in battery that recharges in 2 hrs from a PC. And thankfully for me, I introduced her to all these artists when she was growing up so I know she's going to love my playlist. So, for Christmas in March, she's getting a Zen of Praise of her very own, complete with her Mom's playlist. Just listening to it as she sits on lonely guard duty for 4 hours each evening will uplift her, encourage her, remind her that her mother loves her, and most importantly, remind her that God loves her even more.

Life lessons I learned from my dog

2008-01-08T16:20:00.001-05:00

Every now and then someone sends me one of those e-mails with Frequent Flyer miles that really resonates with me. Today, one came that was so beautiful that I feel compelled to share it it.

All my life I've been a cat-person, but for one brief period, when I needed her the most, God brought a beautiful shepherd-collie-chow into my life. I adopted her from the local animual rescue league, so according to conventional wisdom, most would say that I saved her life, but Gracie and I know that in truth, she saved mine. Gracie loved me unconditionally whether I was having a good day or a bad one. She could sense how I was feeling and always knew what to do. She protected me with her life and she trusted me with hers. We were a pretty formidable team, Gracie and I, and although our time together was short, she will always hold a special place in my heart.

Here's the part of today's e-mail that rang so true for me:

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the
rain."
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak gently.

Thank you, Gracie.

Volunteer knitters and crocheters needed

2008-01-05T11:19:00.000-05:00

It's a brand New Year and I can't think of a better time to make a commitment to doing more charity knitting/crocheting this year. I'd like to invite you to join me in supporting the WarmUp America! Foundation. Warm Up America! (WUA!) is an organization made up of volunteers from across the country who create handmade afghan blankets, clothing and accessories to help those in need. These items provide warmth and comfort to people who have lost their homes, fled abusive relationships, or are being cared for in hospices, shelters, hospitals, and nursing homes. Amazingly, more than 250,000 afghans have already been made and distributed through this program.

So what does this have to do with Soulful Knitting Ministries and how can you help? I'm so glad you asked! Caron, manufacturer of Simply Soft, a wonderful (and wonderfully inexpensive) yarn that I use a lot in the SKM Signature Prayer Shawls, is sponsoring a Sofen the World Simply Soft Sweepstakes. Participants are asked to submit any number of knit or crocheted 7" x 9" sections in any Simply Soft yarn. All stitched sections will be donated to WarmUp America! And, in addition to knitting and crocheting for WarmUp America!, you'll also be supporting Soulful Knitting Ministries, because the group that submits the most sections by the deadline will win a check for $300, which if we won, would be used to purchase yarn to make more prayer shawls. How's that for the ultimate charity knitting/crocheting two-fer?

The only requirements for the sections, is that they measure 7" x 9", and that they use Simply Soft yarn, which I know is available at Wal-Mart and can probably also be found at other craft stores or mass merchandisers that sell yarn. It's less than $3.00 for a 6-oz skein, which will make lots of sections, and is also available several places online (try searching for "simply soft caron" on google). You can use your own pattern ideas (just remember it must measure 7" x 9"), or use any of these free patterns from WarmUp America!

You can send your completed sections to me either a few at a time or when you've done all you're going to do, but please make sure that I receive them no later than April 15th so I can get them shipped to Caron before the May 1st deadline. Please send your sections to:

Sydney ThomasPO Box 6233Ashland VA 23005

Thank you in advance for your support. And please feel free to pass this request on to all of your knitting friends and knitting groups. It's a great way to support two organizations who are helping others, one stitch at a time!

The politics of hope

2008-01-04T07:16:00.001-05:00

I know this is going to sound corny, but I was so excited about what happened in the Iowa caucuses last night that I couldn't sleep. And here I am this morning, still riding the wave of optimism that appears to be taking hold across this country.

I am proud to be a supporter of Mike Huckabee, and as my family, friends and co-workers know all too well, I've been supporting him since last spring when none of them even knew who he was. As an African-American, converted Republican who hails from a long line of die-hard Democrats, my early support of Huckabee was considered by many who know me as yet another example of my being out in left (or in this case, right) field, bucking conventional wisdom, marching to a totally different drummer, and perhaps being just plain rebellious. Yet I've been pleasantly surprised by how many of those nay-sayers actually started listening, first to me, and then to Mike Huckabee, and have begun to see what I saw.

Now, I must also be honest and admit that while I could not in good conscious vote for Obama because he is African-American (or Hillary because she's a woman), and while my values are much more closely aligned with conservative Republican values, I was almost as delighted about Obama's win in Iowa last night as I was for Huckabee. I'm excited that last night sent a message around the country, and around the world perhaps, that integrity and values trump money and "establishment". Honor and character trump pandering to the audience and telling them what they want to hear, even if it's different from what the last group was told. And that as a country, we may finally be ready to move beyond the trappings of race. The pundits can pontificate and speculate until the cows come home, but at the end of the day, it's not what they say that truly matters, as last night's election results proved.

But to me, what happened last night hits home on a personal level as well. The startling, against all odds, "they said it couldn't be done" results last night provide an important lesson to each of us. Both directly and by implication, so many of us are seduced into focusing on all that we supposedly can not do, for whatever reason, rather than encouraged to focus on all that we can do. We're told to set "realistic" expectations, settle for less than we dare to dream for and to focus on simply making through the day - one day at a time. We are constantly reminded of all of the limitations we face, but rarely about the possibilities.

The bottom line is that the choice is ours. We can chose to limit ourselves by allowing others to limit us, or we can take a page from Mike Huckabee's and Barack Obama's playbooks and decide that what we're put here to do is more important than what anybody else tells us we can't do.

History, both past and recent, is full of examples of people who have overcome tremendous odds, many that are much more challenging than ours, to achieve incredible things. Do you doubt that? Search the Internet and read about incredible artists who are blind, or who hold their paintbrushes with their teeth or their feet because they have no arms, or about athletes who complete entire marthons on crutches. Read about children who are born so severely disabled that they were never expected to read or write, yet who're graduating from college. Learn more about the Special Olympics. If you do, I bet you'll start to realize that life is too short, there's way too much to see and do, to waste time at the pity party.

It's time for us to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and believing the lies about what we can and cannot do. It's time to prove the pundits wrong. It's time to figure out why we're here, what our purpose in life is, what gifts we have to offer, what it is we're meant to do, and then, in the words of that simple yet profoundly powerful Nike ad... JUST DO IT!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T15:21:00.001-05:00

It's another New Year - a time of new opportunities and new possibilities... a time when many of us are pledging to ourselves, and perhaps even to others, that we're going to let go of unhealthy habits and replace them with more positive and uplifting ones. I go through this process each year, some with more successful results than others. But this morning, I saw something in the newspaper that crystallized the idea of New Year's resolutions brilliantly for me.

This is apparently a frequently reprinted post from Dear Abby that I'm guessing appeared in syndicated papers across the country today. But just in case you missed it, here it is:

JUST FOR TODAY: I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. I will improve my appearance, speak softly and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I will refrain from improving anybody but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I'm a smoker, I'll quit. If I am overweight, I will eat healthfully — if only just for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it's only around the block.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

And so, Dear Readers, may this New Year bring with it peace and joy. — LOVE, ABBY

I'm printing a copy of this for my refrigerator and another copy for my planner. If I can do these things just one day at a time, I know that this is going to be an awesome year!

Seasons Greetings!

2007-12-22T08:31:00.001-05:00

In thinking about what I wanted to post for Christmas, I decided to read what I posted last year. Amazingly, what I wrote 12 months ago is equally relevant a year later, so I decided to post it here again...

With rain and spring-like temperatures, it hasn't looked a lot like Christmas this year. In fact, I haven't encountered a single family member or friend who admitted to being "in the Christmas spirit" this year. I wonder why that is.

Perhaps its the ever-increasing commercialization (and attending stress) of the Holiday Season. I remember seeing Christmas decorations this year before Thanksgiving. Retailers seem to be dragging out prime shopping time for as long as possible. Perhaps its the incessant news stories about the ridiculous bickering that's going on in schools, airports, malls and town halls around the country. Apparently it's no longer politically correct to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. After all, someone might be offended. Or perhaps as our children grow up, family squabbles escalate and relationships fade, there are fewer "loved ones" to share this special season with.

Whatever the reason, it's been a difficult holiday season for many people. Perhaps that includes you... If not, consider yourself doubly blessed. Whether Christmas is turning out to be all you hoped for or not, it's important not to lose sight of the real reason we celebrate this special time. No matter how many gifts are or aren't under our trees this year, whether we even have a tree at all, we have all received a very special gift, God's unconditional love as expressed through His son Jesus. We all have a reason to celebrate - we have hope, we have forgiveness, we have redemption.

It's easy to get caught up in all of the wordly symbols of the holiday season, to compare the "success" of our circumstances to others, and for some of us, to become depressed by the perceived gap between how we spent this Christmas and how we'd hoped to. What's not as easy is to remind ourselves that no matter how alone or depressed or out of sorts we may feel, there is so much to be thankful for.

One of the most effective ways I've found for kicking that "poor me" feeling is to lose myself in service to others. Somehow, doing something for someone else always reminds me that even if I'm feeling helpless to make a difference in my own life at that moment, that I can make a difference in the life of someone else.

Last year I knit several scarves for a wonderful Bible College student to give as Christmas gifts since I knew she didn't have a lot of money to spend on presents at the time. I did a bit of Christmas knitting this year, but not as much as in years past. This year I decided instead to donate time to local charities. I coordinated the adoption of over 100 angels as part of the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program. It was the most gratifying experience to see the generosity of my co-workers in action as the gifts for the children started coming in. Bicyles, skate boards, Dora the Explorer items, educational toys and games, the most gorgeous outfits... seeing how these children were going to be blessed by total strangers on Christmas morning was a precious Christmas gift for me too.

I pray that you will have a joyous and joyful Christmas holiday season and that all of your Christmas wishes come true.

Hershey update

2007-12-17T23:10:00.000-05:00

It appears that consumer outrage can make a difference. Apparently the Hershey Co. has decided to repackage it's new candy/breathmint that was practically indistinguishable from cocaine. I can't imagine how they ever thought this would fly, but it seems that wiser minds, or at least more litigation-conscious ones, have prevailed.

In a recent article on Hershey's change of heart, Philadelphia Daily News journalist Jill Porter reminds us all that Hershey's response to the public outcry against this product "is a compelling commentary on the power of public opinion".

Thanks to everyone who voiced their concerns and/or boycotted Hershey products. I now officially proclaim that we can all go back to eating Hershey's kisses!

Sock Wars

2007-12-17T12:11:00.000-05:00

Apparently there's a lot of fun and excitement going on in the global knitting community that I am unaware of. For the second year now, there has been an international spin-off to the popular game, Assassins, in which knitters must knit a pair of socks for another knitter to whom they have been randomly assigned. Their mission, should they choose to accept it, is to complete and ship the socks they knit before they receive the pair of socks that another knitter knit for them. This year's sock pattern is called "Scar." There were 800 participants from around the world this year - I find that amazing! Click here to read more.

Hershey's is on the fence

2007-12-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

It appears that Hershey's may be reconsidering it's recent decision to introduce a new breath mint/candy that resembles cocaine. I certainly hope so. But, until it's a done deal, I'm still not planning to purchase any Hershey's products and urge everyone who reads this to do the same and pass the word.

I was surprised to learn how many brands are distributed by the Hershey Company. Here's a partial list, which unfortunately includes some of my favorite candies:

Twizzlers
Ice Breakers
Hershey's (bars, kisses, morsels, etc.)
Reese's
Caco Reserve
Kit Kat
York
Almond Joy
Mounds
Jolly Rancher

What is Hershey thinking?

2007-12-07T11:24:00.001-05:00

The Hershey Company has introduced a new powdered mint candy that is packaged to look like cocaine. I'd heard about this yesterday from a co-worker, but refused to believe it, until I read the article myself this morning. How could a long-standing trusted brand like Hershey do something this insane?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why this is a horrible idea. Here are just a few:

A child finds some blue packets on the street, in an alley, or on the playground at school. He or she assumes it's candy and "eats" it. The child subsequently (1) gets sick; (2) consumes enough to get addicted and starts doing who-knows-what in order to be able to get more; or (3) overdoses and dies. Who's ultimately responsible?
Children start bringing blue packets to school. Teachers and administrators don't know if it's candy or crack. What should they do?
The article states that police officers are already concerned about the impact on law-enforcement efforts. Because they can't tell the difference between the candy and a dime bag of cocaine, they will have to test all of the blue bags they find - not knowing whether it's candy or cocaine. Is this how our law enforcement officers should be utilizing their already limited resources?
It's well-known that drug dealers often try to mix or replace drugs with common household products, some benign, some harmful. Imagine the number of additional drug-related deaths that are likely to result from drug deals gone bad over selling candy instead of crack. While I'm sure there are some that this would be good riddence, but many innocent people are harmed by drugs, sometimes just by being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I'm not an activist and can't remember the last time I boycotted anything, but I'm boycotting all Hershey products until this candy is either removed from the market completely or re-packaged more appropriately. This is one of those times that I believe that consumers can truly make a difference, and for the sake of our children (and I mean that collectively - whether you've given birth to a child or not), we need to take a stand.

So, I'm asking that you do 3 things: (1) join me in boycotting Hershey products; (2) pass this information along to everyone you know; and (3) if you feel so inclined, send an e-mail to Hershey at their website.

Beauty from Buffalos

2007-12-04T12:12:00.000-05:00

I never ceased to be amazed by the ingenuity of artists who can make something both beautiful and practical out of just about anything. Forget sheep, llama, alpaca, rabbits and goats, imagine knitting a luxurious cap, scarf or sweater made from yarn from a buffalo! It's not inexpensive, but it certainly is a conversation piece. Check it out at American Buffalo Products.

A big bear hug for Sister Lauren

2007-11-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

Sister Lauren Spence, of Mankato MN recently completed her 1,000th teddy bear knit for charity. That's right, I didn't add any extra zeros. This amazing woman knit ONE THOUSAND teddy bears for the Mother Bear Project that will be sending the bears to African children who have lost their parents to AIDS. Just think, of the 23,170 bears that have been donated to date, this woman made 1,000 of them! And who said that one person can't make a differentce? To read more about Sister Lauren, click here.

Gratitude Quotes

2007-11-21T10:53:00.001-05:00

If I had to pick one state of mind to live in all the time, I think it would be gratitude. I believe that those people who can express sincere gratitude in any circumstance are truly blessed. I've got a lot to be thankful for this Holiday Season and I'll post about that soon. But for now, I decided to share some of my favorite quotes on gratitude.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." (Melodie Beattie)

"Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting."(Author Unknown)

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."(Epictetus)

"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you."(Sarah Ban Breathnach)

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."(Author Unknown)

Defying the Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater

2007-11-16T16:35:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I "broke up" with the man I'd been dating. To be honest, to say that we "broke up" is not quite accurate. Technically, he dumped me. But that's not the point of this story.

My ex knew that I love to knit and to my surprise, just a few weeks before he vanished, he mentioned the possibility of me knitting an afghan for him. I was elated. I scoured the internet for patterns and he finally chose a great one and I ordered the yarn. In fact, the box of 15 skeins of black wool arrived the week before he flew the coop.

So, there I was, sitting home alone, newly dumped and crying like there was no tomorrow, staring at a big box full of black yarn - a very expensive big box of black yarn, I might add. Yes, I was aware of the Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater. And, although I don't consider myself to be superstitious, I've been a victim of the curse in the past. So naturally my first instinct was to return the yarn, or if that wasn't possible, to sell it on e-bay.

But then this wasn't technically the Boyfriend Sweater Curse because he wasn't my boyfriend anymore, right? More importantly, although I couldn't explain why at the time, I needed to knit this afghan. And I'm so glad I did, because transforming that black box of yarn that symbolized a failed relationship into something that I'm very proud of was just what I needed to do to help me move on.

What started out as a big box of black wool is now a beautiful black cabled afghan that I gave to my ex today. It took the better part of two months to knit, but it was worth every minute that I spent on it.

Why would I spend that kind of money and time on a man who dumped me? I'm so glad you asked! :)

Knitting this afghan was not about him, it was about me. For me, there is something so cathartic, so healing, about knitting. The time I spend knitting is meditative, it's contemplative, it's prayerful, it's relaxing and it's creative. And in the end, it's much less expensive and much more productive than time spent talking to a therapist.

When I started this project, it was painfully slow-going. Perhaps the flood of tears clouded my vision and slowed me down. I didn't think I'd ever be able to get through this. By the time I reached the middle, I was mad as hell and the yarn was almost flying through my fingers.

But then something very different happened. The true lessons of this experience started to take shape. I did do it right this time. I did learn from all those failed relationships of the past and entered this one with hope and optimism, but also with important knowledge about myself, my co-dependent tendencies and my "relationship issues". In this relationship, probably for the first time, I was the woman I wanted to be, and damn it, she's pretty cool.

So while there are days that I still miss him, and though I detest the way he handled our break-up, I can't help but be grateful for the lessons this experience gave me. I'm more self-confident now than ever before. I have an even clearer idea of what I want (and don't want) in a relationship, and I know that I can survive without one. How can I stay mad at someone who, albeit unknowingly, helped me discover these truths about myself?

Needless to say, I'm no longer heartbroken. I'm no longer angry. I just am.

So what's the moral of this story? Not everything we think we're doing for someone else is really about them, sometimes it's about us. Knitting, in particular, is about so much more than the finished product. It's about the process. I have no idea how my ex will respond to the afghan. I have absolutely no illusions about getting back together. In fact, although I'm hoping that he'll keep it, I'm not even sure that he will. But that's not the point. What matters is that the process of knitting that afghan for him helped me find much-needed closure. In this case, the quasi-curse turned out to be a blessing.

We can all make a difference

2007-11-13T08:42:00.001-05:00

There is no shortage of opportunities around the world for each of us to use our knitting and crocheting gifts and talents to make a difference. Whether you're interested in helping organizations that support children, pets, senior citizens or the homeless, there's a project out there that can use your help. Even if you don't have a lot of time or money, there's always something you can do. And... simply reading the lnewspaper or watching the evening news reminds as all that there are so many people that could use our help.

Who didn't watch with horror as wildfires raged in California just a few weeks ago? Although the media has moved on to other stories, there are thousands of people whose lives have been changed forever by the fires. GeorgeAnn Smith heard the call and immediately started the San Diego Wildfire Blanket Project. She is soliciting donations of 8" knitted or crocheted squares, in any color or pattern, that will be stitched together to make afghans for families who lost their homes in the fire. Already the response has been overwhelming, but this is a huge project and there's a lot of work that needs to be done. Please visit GeorgeAnn's blog and considering sending a square or two.

Autumn leaves

2007-11-10T18:21:00.000-05:00

The summer was very dry in Virginia this year. As a result, we haven't gotten the fabulous display of fall color this year. However, I couldn't resist taking this picture of some trees near my home.

2007-11-07T11:11:00.000-05:00

Apparently this knitting meme has been around for quite some time, but I saw it for the first time today at The Knitting Wildflower and decided to post it here just for fun.

The "official" rules say to indicate items that have been done in bold and things you want to try in italics, but I've decided to keep it simple. Things I've done are in bold, and my editorial comments are in italics. Feel free to copy and paste to your blog if you're interested:

Afghan (I'm almost finished a very unusual afghan project which I'll be posting about soon)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire (I took a class in knitting with wire at a local yarn shop. We made wire and bead bracelets)
Shawl (I've made dozens of prayer shawls for this ministry)
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn (I didn't know there was such a thing!)
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk (I just bought some recycled sari silk to make a purse)
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL (I started, but never finished)
Sweater (at least a dozen)
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn (that's the beauty of the SKM prayer shawls)
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting (this is just about all I do these days)
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing (do people really do this?)
Knitting with circular needles (the only needles I use if I can help it)
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (I don't have a clue what this is)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran) (I LOVE cables!!!)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book (I'm expecting the final manuscript back any day now. Stay tuned!!!)
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money (unfortunately, people don't want to pay anything close to what the items are worth by the time you include the cost of materials and time spent)
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors (I do want to try this ... it looks like a lot of fun!)
Knitting items for a wedding (are you kidding?_
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Hair accessories
Knitting in public
Knitting with buffalo yarn
Knitting with pygora (what???)
Dyeing with food dye/drink mixes
Dyeing with chemical dyes (acid, etc)

A spoonful of sugar

2007-11-01T11:46:00.000-04:00

Today I remembered a song from the Mary Poppins movie that I loved as a child. I'm sitting here at work trying not to be too disappointed that I didn't get a job that I interviewed for recently. Spiritually I know that when one door closes another door opens, and that something better is in store. But that is long-term thinking. In the short-term, that door closed on an immediate way out of a situation that is not working. I hate job-hunting under the best of circumstances, and know enough about the current state of the economy to know that this is not the best of circumstances to be looking for another job.

But, today is Thursday and it's almost noon. That means that it's time to go to the weekly knitting group that I started in the building where I work. It is the one thing that I truly look forward to at the office. And for that one hour each week, I'm glad I'm where I am. So for now, knitting is my spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.

What's yours?

Growing the ministry

2007-10-29T12:16:00.000-04:00

I had a meeting last week with a wonderful woman who works for the Office of Family Violence in the Virginia Department of Social Services. We met concering a drive to collect no-longer-used cell phones for the HopeLine project. Please e-mail me if you have a phone you'd like to donate.

While we were talking, I mentioned this ministry and the prayer shawls we knit for victims of sexual violence. She was very interested in learning more about the ministry and working with me to find ways to work cooperatively with the domestic violence shelters throughout the state. An obvious connection would be to provide shawls directly through the participating shelters through this umbrella organization, making it much easier to ensure that the shawls are getting into the hands of women who may be blessed by them.

Another longer-term idea would be to develop an informal "knitting therapy" project in which local volunteer knitters would "host" knitting sessions, perhaps accompanied by a group therapist, where shelter residents can sit, knit and talk. While they're talking about their issues, they would also be knitting prayer shawls for other survivors. Not only would they reap the therapeutic benefits of knitting, but they would also be helping to create something special to be passed on to another woman who was a victim of similar circumstances. I don't know yet how big the shelters are (how many women live in each), but it would be awesome to come to the initial meeting at each shelter with a prayer shawl for every woman who was staying there, and then to leave the group with the ongoing goal of having enough prayer shawls for each new resident who comes there.

I know this is a lofty goal, but I think it's doable, and I think we could really make a difference in the lives of these women who have suffered so much. I'll be posting more on this soon, but if you have any comments or suggestions on making this happen, please let me know. Also, please e-mail me if you live in the Richmond area and would be willing to join me for a yarn-winding party to make more shawl balls sometime soon.

Knitted stamp for the Holidays

2007-10-28T15:49:00.000-04:00

Just in time for the holidays, the US Postal Service has issued a commemorative stamp honoring the craft of knitting. To learn more about the design and creation of these stamps visit the USPS site.

© 2007 USPS. All Rights Reserved.

A rare knitting sight

2007-10-26T15:31:00.000-04:00

Today I noticed a guy sitting in the lobby of the office building where I work knitting. Yes, that's right, a MAN knitting in public. And this was not just any knitting project - he was knitting a bright orange and burgundy (go Va Tech!) cabled sweater vest for his dad, without a pattern! I was blown away!

Of course I had to ask him a million questions... It's not every day that I see a manly man knitting a cabled sweater vest. He taught himself to knit a few years ago while stationed in Iraq. He said that some of his fellow soldiers gave him a bit of a hard time for a while, but before he left, he'd taught 3 more of them to knit.

He's a member of a local knitting group that meets at a local bookstore, and as a new tenant in my building, he's planning to join us in our now weekly lunchtime knitting get-togethers. I know there are men out there knitting, and enjoying it, but it really made my day to actually see one!

My new screensaver

2007-10-22T19:33:00.000-04:00

While purging a ton of computer files as part of my office makeover project, I found this picture that I'd forgotten that I took several years ago when I was looking for cover designs for my soon-to-be-released knitting book (more details to follow). I decided that it was the perfect screensaver for my new office.

Help for knitting pain

2007-10-18T08:46:00.000-04:00

A few years ago during a particularly difficult period of my life I was severely stressed and found that knitting was the only thing that helped. This continued over the course of several months until I developed a serious case of "knitter's elbow" and carpel tunnel. I had no idea that knitting could cause repetitive stress injuries, but it can. Since then I've met other knitters who've had similar problems.

But at last there's relief. I saw an ad in the paper yesterday for a new product from Thermacare, the company that makes those wonderful, long-lasting heating pads that last all day. They've just introduced a fingerless glove product called "Thermacare Arthritis Heatwraps". What a brilliant idea and a God-send for serious knitters!

Knitting at work

2007-10-17T15:16:00.001-04:00

I must have been talking about knitting a lot at work because before I knew it, people started asking me to teach them to knit. Rather than try to schedule a ton of one-on-one knitting lessons, I decided to post an announcement in the common areas of the building that I would be teaching a 4-week beginner's knitting class during lunch time for anyone who's interested.

About a dozen people from several different offices signed up, and tomorrow will be our third class. It's going quite well, although we'd be further along were it not for the fact that we had several new knitters join last week and I'm expecting more to come tomorrow. I don't mind at all, I just worry that it might frustrate some of those who are further along and ready to move to the next level.

Thankfully, I have two knitting buddies who work in another office building a few blocks away and they come over and knit with us, mainly to help provide more hands-on instruction to those who need it.

Already I'm hearing rumblings that several in the class want to transition from a 4-week beginner's class to an on-going knitting group. That hadn't been my original intention, but I think I like the idea. The best part is that because of the nature of my job, the knitting class actually qualifies as "work-related", so I can knit for an hour and then take lunch. I think we should start an hour earlier, knit for two hours, and then take lunch! :)

Looking for a fun way to make new friends and influence people at work? Offer to teach a knitting class. If you're not quite up to that, start bringing your knitting to work and knit during your lunch break. You'll probably be surprised at what an ice-breaker that would be. Even if you don't find another soul to knit with, I bet you'll have a very relaxing lunch break.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2007-10-10T16:39:00.000-04:00

Although the I've officially handed off the Think Pink Challenge project, I recently realized that had accumulated many many more scarves than I'd realized since I shipped out several hundreds of scarves last winter to over 20 breast cancer treatment facilities around the country. Since that time I moved and still had some scarves packed in boxes in storage, and as more scarves came in, I put those in storage as well because by then it was too warm to send out scarves anyway.

However, since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I decided that this was the perfect time to make sure that all the scarves get to women who will be blessed by them, and to make mores room in storage for yarn donations for the prayer shawl ministry.

Today I delivered 200 pink scarves to the new Virginia Breast Center, part of the Bon Secours hospital network. They have three facilities throughout the local area and promised to distribute them among the centers to patients as they are diagnosed. They were absolutely thrilled to receive the scarves.

Thanks again to everyone who worked so hard to make this project a success! It exceeded my wildest expectations by far.

If you're interested in continuing to knit in support of breast cancer, please contact a local breast cancer treatment facility in your local area and deliver your donations there directly. Also, during this process I received two special requests that I promised to pass along:

First, although the numbers are small, there are men who are diagnosed with breast cancer as well. It was suggested that at least a few scarves be knitting in shorter lengths, with deeper pink tones, and basic patterns that could be worn by men.

Second, several centers mentioned that there are many other patients fighting various cancers other than breast cancer and because the breast cancer awareness groups are so visible now, breast cancer patients are getting a tremendous amount of support, which is wonderful, but I can imagine how sad it must be for other cancer patients who feel overlooked and forgotten. So, please consider knitting scarves in other colors for in support of other types of cancers. The following are a few links I found that list colors for the various types of cancers. Please note that I have not compared these lists to see if they are all consistent. I hope they are!

CauseKeepers

About.com: Awareness Ribbons

Charming Designs - Awareness Bracelets

Planting seeds

2007-10-06T11:22:00.000-04:00

Something really wonderful happened this week. I received an e-mail from a Robin, knitter in NY who'd been to a Knit-Out (or maybe it was a Knit-In?) and seen one of the SKM prayer shawls there. She was moved to contact me to offer her support. She'd already talked to a few of her friends, who wanted to help knit more prayer shawls.

One of those friends, Lori, is a teacher who'd been thinking about teacher her students to knit. Lori wanted to use a prayer shawl as the focus of both a hands-on knitting class and a community service project. Together, she and her students are going to knit a single shawl (with each person knitting a piece of it), and when it's done, they are going to present it to a woman in their local community who I'm sure will be blessed by their labor of love.

What makes this special on so many levels is that Christine, who originally knit the prayer shawl, shared it at the knitting event, that Robin and Lori thought enough of this ministry to want to get involved, that Lori now plans to share our work with a set of new knitters, AND, all this is being introduced through their Temple. Yes, even though I'm a Christian, I am delighted that Robin and Lori, who are Jewish, recognized that we are all God's children and that there is more than enough of His work for all of us! I am thrilled to have them helping to spread this ministry.

I've asked Lori to send pictures of her group's progress so that I can post them here.

Precious pearls

2007-09-30T12:33:00.000-04:00

While reading the paper this morning I came across an interesting book review about a new book, Watercolored Pearls, written by a local author, Stacy Hawkins Adams. The storyline seemed interesting enough, but what really resonated with me was the explanation of how the book got it's title.

According to the review, the three lead women characters are each given a gift of pearls by an older friend, who explains that a grain of sand or other irritant invades an oyster, which in turn coats the irritant with a substance (nacra) which eventually hardens and protects the oyster from the irritant. "This is a metaphor for female lives, she explains, in which painful challenges make women stronger and more beautiful."

That passage reminded of the dozens of women I've made prayer shawls for and the countless others I've met through this ministry. As with natural pearls, these beautiful women represent different colors, ages, backgrounds, and professions. Yet they all share a common thread. In one way or another, each have suffered and survived trauma of one type or another at the hands of a stranger, friend, family member or loved one. As horrific as their pain may have been, what matters at the end of the day is the miraculous ways that these women have gone on with their lives in spite of their pasts.

Like precious pearls, our suffering has made us stronger.

Giving the best

2007-09-27T09:21:00.001-04:00

Every now and then a post really warms my heart. Although I'm always happy to know that knitters and crocheters are sharing their gifts with others, I'm sometimes suprised and disappointed that people sometimes give away their leftovers or their "mistakes" and consider it charitable knitting. Of course this issue isn't unique to crafters, I've heard stories about people donating used underwear and I knew of an attorney who donated a business suit to Goodwill after it came back from the tailor, who said that the worn crotch seam couldn't be replaced. An attorney! True story!

Because people even think about donating items to people less fortunate, I have to give credit for the thought that counts. But, in a recent post, Adminnie at Lime and Violet reminds that charity knitting deserves our best efforts too.

The Art of Gifting

2007-09-26T18:39:00.000-04:00

When it comes to giving gifts, we've become spoiled. Actually, we've become lazy. How often do we wait until the last minute to purchase birthday, anniversary or even Christmas gifts, only to rush out and get a gift card? How often do the gifts we give depend on what's on sale or what happens to be featured in a special store display or in the latest catalog or web page? I'll be the first to admit that it can be extremely difficult to give a gift to someone that we don't know well. But what's our excuse when it comes to family members and/or close friends? My guess is that we opt for the easy way out when it comes to gift giving simply because it's easy. We simply don't want to take the time or go to the trouble of thinking hard enough and long enough about that special person to pick a gift that is truly special.

Another excuse that I often hear, and that I've used myself, is that it's too expensive. Somewhere along the way we've been duped into believing that a good gift is an expensive gift. Of course money can buy some really cool stuff, but in my opinion, that's not what "gift-giving" is about.

One of the most heartwarmingly beautiful wedding bands I've ever seen is one that was made by a soldier for his wife out of a silver nickel. Although I can't imagine how painstaking the task must have been, he described the process of hitting the nickel with a spoon over and over again to shape it into a band. That's how he spent long lonely days onboard a Navy ship while separated from his girlfriend. He was probably in his 70's when he showed me the ring. He'd given it to her when they were in their 20's.

I love to knit. When I was married, my husband made a pair of knitting needles for me out of wooden dowels. He carved, shaped and sanded them by hand. He stained them and then added jade caps on the ends. We are no longer together, and I've donated or re-gifted many of the expensive things he gave me. But those simple knitting needles, that he made with love (when he still loved me) I chose to keep.

I think Ralph Waldo Emerson got it right in an essay entitled "Gifts" in 1844.

"The only gift is a portion of thyself... Therefore the poet brings his poem; the shepherd, his lamb; the farmer, corn; the miner, a gem; the sailor, coral and shells; the painter, his picture; the girl, a handkerchief of her own sewing. This is right and pleasing, for it restores society in so far to the primary basis, when a man's biography is conveyed in his gift... But it is a cold, lifeless business when you go to the shops to buy me something, which does not represent your life and talent, but a goldsmith's."

My dear friend Susan must understand what Mr. Emerson was talking about, because recently she sent me a gift that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Susan is a talented, thoughtful and sensitive blogger. She's also an accomplished and successful writer, having published and sold many books. She's written before about how she loves to write long-hand and has written about the tools of her trade. She knows that I love to write too and has been very supportive of my writing goals.

Susan sent me the most beautiful pen I've ever seen. It's a Levenger pen, which is awesome, and the fact that it's orange, which is one of my favorite colors, makes it even nicer. But the best thing of all is not that Susan went out and bought me an expensive ink pen, because she didn't. What's incredible to me is that this is one of Susan's favorite pens, one that she's written thousands of words with. It has been a part of her world for a long time... and she gave it to me. Somehow she knew that I'd understand the significance, the eloquence and the "perfectness" of her gift.

Susan and I met through our blogs in early spring. We post on each other's blogs and e-mail privately off-line almost daily and talk by phone at least once a week. For some unexplicable reason, although our friendship is still relatively new and we live on opposite sides of the country, I feel like we've known each other forever. And now, I have a very special piece of her world here in mine and I am truly touched. Today I want to publicly thank Susan for her thoughtfulness and I thank God for Susan's friendship.

A new face for this blog

2007-09-24T18:55:00.000-04:00

OK. This time I'm really back. Summer is over and it's time to get back to business. It's been a long break from the ministry from me, but God continues to work with me and through me in other ways. Over the coming weeks, I'll share some of the insights I've been given over the past several months and share with you some of what I've been up to.

To be honest, I haven't been knitting as much in the past few months as I had been. After knitting literally dozens of prayer shawls, pink scarves and baby hats last year, I think I burned myself out. I didn't pick up my knitting needles for months, and I'm surprised to admit that I really didn't miss it.

But then, I re-read the manuscript of my book, The Joys of Soulful Knitting, which is about to be published at last (more on this soon). I was reminded of why I engage in the practice of Soulful Knitting and how important it is to me, on so many levels. I'm going through a difficult situation personally, and there is a special person that I feel the need to knit for, so I've undertaken a truly "soul full" knitting project that I try to devote some quality time to each evening. I'll post a picture when I'm done.

As far as the future of this blog goes, it's been on my heart for some time now to use this space to highlight some of the many wonderful charitable projects that are bringing knitters (and crocheters) from around the world together to generously donate their time and talents to brighten the lives of others. I'd also like to share some stories of Soulful Knitters in action. So stay tuned, I hope you'll enjoy the new additions that are coming.

Of course, if you know of projects and/or stories of Soulful Knitters, please let me know. I'd love to spread the word of their work.

Happy Knitting!

An apologetic return and a few changes

2007-05-26T08:54:00.001-04:00

It has been way too long since I've blogged here. Thanks to everyone who's posted comments here and/or sent e-mails of support to me offline during my absence. I can't exactly say I'm "alive and well", but I can say that I'm finally "alive and better". It's been a long, hard winter and spring, but I'm looking forward to the sun and warmth of summer.

I was re-energized this morning when I counted 7 new prayer shawls that have come in from wonderful volunteers over the last several weeks. They're beautiful and my heartfelt thanks goes to all who've so generously donated their time and talents to create these shawls. For those who've requested new kits, I'm way behind in creating the shawl balls, but I'll get more yarn out to you as soon as I can. I really need to host a local yarn-winding party to get this done. As a side note, if any of you live in the Richmond area and would like to help, please send me an e-mail off-line.

Of course, we can always use more yarn donations. I've got a lot of full skeins that it's going to take a while to go through, but if you've got leftover yarn from your stash that you want to get rid of (anything of 12" or more is fine), please feel free to send that to me for use in the shawls. In addition to helping you reduce your stash, getting the yarn in smaller increments is much easier for me in terms of storing all this yarn!

Also, I think I'd like to expand the reach of this ministry. While the shawls have generally been given to women who have been victims of sexual violence, there are lots of other women who are in pain who could be equally blessed. For example, depression and other mood disorders is another area where I think we can really be a blessing. Now that there are more knitters making the shawls, I finally at the point where I need help identifying recipients for the shawls. This gets tricky because we'll never be able to knit enough shawls to give one to every one who might be blessed by one (or who just wants one), so we still need to use some discretion, but I'd like to invite you to start thinking of people that you know or know of, who we might be able to send a shawl to.

It's not necessary to go into great detail, but in order to help if we end up with more names than we have shawls, please send a brief explanation of why you think the person you're recommending should get a shawl and of course, send contact information. Also, if it's someone you know, if you'd prefer to deliver the shawl personally, let me know that as well.

In an effort to try to better manage my limited time and energy, I'm going to have to bow out of taking the lead on Think Pink Challenge. I was amazed and ecstatic about the response to our first year of the project, and certainly hope that it will continue. Sadly, I'm just not able to take the lead. It's just gotten too big for me to handle on my own. Instead, I'd like to suggest that people continue to make the scarves and instead of sending them to me, deliver them directly to a local hospital, American Cancer Society, or other breast cancer organization in your area. If you need help finding an organization, please let me know and I may be able to help.

Thank you again for your thoughts, prayers and support of this ministry.

God bless!

Sydney

Lessons from unlikely places

2007-03-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

I must confess a guilty pleasure... I love ordering entire seasons worth of DVDs through NetFlix and watching them one after another while I'm winding balls of yarn for prayer shawls. Right now I'm watching the first season of one of my all-time favorite shows - La Femme Nikita. If you've never heard of it, it's sort of a "Mission Impossible" (the old TV show, not the Tom Cruise movie) meets "Alias", with a touch of "24" thrown in. The story revolves around a female counter-terrorism agent, Nikita. Like Jack Bauer of "24" fame, she's a do-whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-mission-accomplished agent, with a heart of gold underneath that rock hard exterior.

In the episode I watched last night, Nikita was training another agent and trying to help her through a simulation in which she had to shoot-or-be-shot, in rapid-fire succession. The agent was growing increasingly frustrated because she kept getting shot and the harder she tried to avoid getting shot, the more the shots came. Finally Nikita stepped in and did the same simulation herself, also getting shot several times, but making it through the simulation.

As I watched, I had the same initial reaction that the agent-in-training had - why is it that Nikita was getting shot so much when she was clearly a very capable agent? When the test was over, Nikita explained that the point of the exercise was not to avoid getting shot - that was impossible - the test was how you reacted AFTER being shot. In other words, do you give up or do you regroup and keep fighting back?

Interestingly, I've been thinking about that episode a lot since last night and I realized that I'm like that agent-in-training in my own life right now. I'm in the midst of a series of tests, which I liken to those shots that are being fired in rapid succession from multiple directions. The more I try to avoid being shot at, the faster and harder the shots come. I had it wrong - Nikita is right... spiritually, it's not our ability to avoid tests and trials that matters to God, because He's already told us that trials will come in our lives. Instead, it's our ability to get up, dust ourselves off, rearrange that spiritual armor and fight back. As long as I continue to focus on the attacks, the pain they're causing and the seeming "unfairness" of it all, the more they cripple me and stunt my spiritual growth. But when I turn my focus instead from the actual problems to my reaction to them, things don't seem as overwhelming.

So, I no longer feel so guilty about watching tv while I work (LOL). This simple experience has reminded me that life is full of spiritual lessons. It's just up to me to be on the lookout for them. I believe that God is always speaking, in one way or another. It's up to me to make sure that I'm always listening.

Who's your Daddy?

2007-02-22T18:18:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to avoid all of the obscenely voyeuristic coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith story over the past few weeks, but for a cable news junkie like me, it's been rather hard to miss. I've found this story to be disgusting, heart-wrenching, tragic, comedic and enlightening, all at the same time. I'm particularly struck by the varied commentary from everyday people who don't seem to really understand what this story, and the coverage of this story, says not only about Anna Nicole Smith, but about our culture. With all that's going on in the world today, the facination with this story is truly sad.

That said, my heart goes out to the one true victim in this case - baby Danielle Lynn. No matter what you think of her mother, her grandmother, or any of the growing number of prospective fathers, that little girl did not ask for the lifetime of pain she is certain to endure in the midst of this mess. I find myself praying for her every time I hear her mother's name mentioned.

This story has me thinking about paternity... how ironic it is that at the same time men are coming out of the woodwork to claim this innocent baby girl, there are thousands of innocent babies born every day who's legitimate biological fathers go to great lengths to deny their paternal responsibilities. The skeptic in me suspects that there are nearly a half a billion reasons why so many people want to be this particular baby's father.

In keeping with the daddy theme, I've also been thinking about what all this fatherhood stuff is really about. I am definitely not a feminist who believes that children don't need fathers, but I'm also aware that many children suffer their greatest hurts at the hands of their fathers. I can't think of a single long-term survivor of sexual violence that I've met through the years that doesn't have a story to tell about a fractured relationship with her father. In some cases, her abuse was suffered at the hands of her father or stepfather, but in many cases, emotional and/or physical alienation from her father exacerbated either the circumstances surrounding her violation or severly impacted her ability to heal. I would argue that even women who have not been violated in the strictest sense of the word more often than not develop their sense of self-worth (or lack thereof) and develop models of how they will interact with the men in their lives (specifically in the areas of trust and emotional intimacy) based in large part on the relationships they had with their fathers or father-figures as they were growing up.

Not all of us were blessed with wonderful earthly fathers, and for those who were, it is truly a blessing. But our lives will change immeasurably for the better once we realize that while earthly fathers are important, it's our Heavenly Father who is the only one we can look to for everything we need. No matter who got your mother pregnant, raised you during your childhood, abandoned you, loved you, caused your tears or wiped them away, only one Father has always been there, and will always be there... even when you can't feel His presence. Once you know in your heart that there is only one true answer to the question "Who's your Daddy?" it becomes a little easier to put all of this earthly "stuff" into perspective. I pray that God will place someone in baby Danielle Lynn's life who will teach her this truth.

SKM Goes Global!!!

2007-02-12T19:14:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to announce that we are officially about to launch our first "international" chapter of Soulful Knitting Ministries. I'd been praying about how to grow this ministry and reach as many women as possible, and God answered that prayer by bringing another Knitting Angel named Linda who lives in Canada, along with several of her knitting friends who are starting the Canadian version of SKM.

I've received e-mails from some of you asking about collecting yarn and/or knitting prayer shawls for women in Canada, so here's your chance! Linda has set up a new e-mail address specifically for SKM. If you live in Canada and want to join our ministry, either by donating yarn and/or knitting prayer shawls, please contact Linda directly.

I can't thank Linda and her friends enough for stepping up to the plate and participating in such an amazing way. This is what Soulful Knitting is all about!

Mustard Seeds

2007-01-25T06:55:00.000-05:00

One of the ironies about faith is that while God says that not much is required (as tiny as a mustard seed), the trials used to grow our faith our often HUGE. Perhaps it's that very contradiction that increases our spiritual muscles the most.

I think I must have a nomadic spirit, or perhaps I'm a gypsy, because I have moved more times in my life than I'd care to count - and no, I'm not a military brat so I can't use that as an excuse. I'm reminded of the many furniture movers that have helped me along the way. It's not all that remarkable when the big, burly ex-football-player-types show up to move the furniture. That's what most of us expect movers to look like. But what's impressive is when the slight-in-stature guys show up for the heavy lifting. My first thought is always "How on earth are these guys going to move this stuff?" But they always do. And I must admit, they're often more efficient and faster than the big guys. It's apparent that what they lack in bulk, they compensate for with discipline, focus and strategy. They've figured out the physics of movement and somehow manage to get the job done.

I think God grows our faith in the same way. If we only move the small boxes and the household knick-knacks, how will we ever grow? How will we ever know how much we're capable of? It's only by facing the big stuff that we have the opportunitiy to exercise our spiritual muscles. What a wonderful blessing to realize that you're much stronger than you thought you were.

A true survivor

2007-01-20T11:39:00.002-05:00

Again God has responded to my request that He show me who to send prayer shawls to. While reading the local paper this week I learned of an amazing young woman who by incredible courage, persistance, and the sheer grace of God, escaped an horrific attack by her boyfriend. I won't go into the sordid details here, but if you're interested, click here to read more about this amazing young woman and what she went through.

I contacted the local police department and was put in touch with a detective who is working closely with her. He's offered to deliver the shawl to her next week. While I was writing a letter to her, God also laid it on my heart to ask her if she was a knitter, and if not, to offer to teach her to knit once she's feeling better. Who knows if she'll take me up on that offer, but in the process, I realized that just as Jesus instructed his disciples to teach men (and women) to fish, as soulful knitters, we also have an opportunity to spread the joy and comfort we gain from our craft, as well as the love of God, with other women we meet along the way.

The other thing God placed on my heart is the opportunity we have to reach out into our respective communities and find the women we're to bless with these chawls by keeping our eyes and ears open to what's happening in our own back yards. So, I'm asking you to be the eyes and ears of SKM. If you read or hear about women who are survivors of sexual and/or domestic violence that we might be able to bless with a shawl, please let me know. Of course, there are many more women who fit this category than we can knit possibly shawls for, so sadly, I won't be able to fulfill every request, but we'll do what we can. When you submit a request, please provide as much information as you can about the situation, as well as contact information.

And of course, in order to make this happen, please continue to send your yarn donations - no amount of yarn is too small. We receive new yarns, but we also receive partial skeins and even small balls of yarn leftover from various knitting projects. I can't think of a better stash-buster, can you? My only caveat on yarn is that I've found that chenille-type yarns don't work well for the shawls. I think because they're knit with larger needles (to compensate for the various gauges of yarns in each shawl), the chenille yarns don't seem to hold their shape as well and often create holes in the shawls. Other than that, all yarns are welcome! For those who've sent yarn before, please note the address change posted in the bottom right-hand corner of the main page.

Thanks again for all of your encouragement, prayers and donations. I know that God is going to use this ministry in amazing ways this year!

Shawl Ball

2007-01-10T18:33:00.004-05:00

Finally! It's taken me forever (almost), but I'm finally back on track with preparing kits for my wonderful volunteers who are helping me knit prayer shawls. We distributed several last year, which were wonderfully received, and I hope to be able to distribute many more this year.

Why did it take so long to get them done? I'm so glad you asked! Yarn is being generously donated by individuals and yarn companies from all over the country. In order to utilize all of the beautiful colors, textures, gauges and quantities of yarn received, the shawls are made by using varying lengths of yarns. Each prayer shawl uses as many as 100 different yarns, and needless to say, no two are exactly alike.

Although it's certainly not difficult, it's a very tedious process to wind the yarn as it comes in to make handling easier, then to select the colors and textures to be used (it's semi-random, but I've learned the hard way that some combinations look much better together than others), and then there's cutting the yarns into different lenghts, tying the lengths together, and winding them into new balls for knitting. I'm making myself tired just describing the process! LOL. Anyway, thanks in large part to my daughter who was home for the holidays, we were able to make 40 "shawl balls" which are going out to Knitting Angels this week.

Just the other day I thanked God for bringing the knitters who have so joyously offered to knit these shawls. Then I prayed that He would lead me to the women that He wants to bless with them. Last night, while attending at a reception at church, I met a wonderful woman who just happens to work for a local non-profit that works with women who are transitioning from domestic violence shelters into new housing. I'm sure it was no accident that we ended up sitting next to each other. As we talked, she told me about a woman she's working with who suffered unspeakable horrors at the hands of her husband. As I heard just the barest details of her testimony (which is absolutely amazing), chills ran up my spine and I knew that God had answered my prayer. I will be taking a prayer shawl to church on Sunday, which will be delivered to her next week.

Sometimes I fall back into the old, and very unproductive, habit of worrying... How will I ever be able to knit enough prayer shawls to get them to even a tiny fraction of the women who need them? How will I know who to give them to? Will I have enough yarn? Will I be able to afford all the postage? Without fail God always reminds me, simply but firmly, that He is in control. This is His ministry, not mine... and that if I will do my part, which includes allowing Him to do His, He will.

Simple Abundance

2007-01-03T06:09:00.001-05:00

Now I remember why "Simple Abundance" is one of my favorite books. This daily devotional is a great pratical reminder of how I want to live my life. I've been toying around with the wording for a personal mission statement to guide me during the year. After reading today's message in Simple Abundance, I realized that I don't need to recreate the wheel, Sarah Ban Breathnacht describes it better than I ever could.

The term "Simple Abundance" says it all. Dictionary.com defines these two words as follows:

simple: not elaborate or artificial; unassuming; not complicated or complex, and Sarah adds clarity of form and thought.

abundance: an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply; an overflowing fullness; wealth

Using these definitions as a basis, Sarah defines simple abundance as "an inner journey, a spiritual and practical course in creative living, a tapestry of contentment." That's awesome!

That simple definition contains so much insight. It's an inner journey, meaning that it is ours and ours alone, a journey of our choosing, it comes from within us and is not predicated on external events. We can embark on this inner journey regardless of our external circumstances. We don't need to wait until the bills are paid, the kids are grown, we get married (or divorced), we get that new job. We can embark on this journey NOW.

It's both spiritual and practical. It's interesting that both words are included here. So often people focus on spirituality, but they forget that it's faith and love in action that matters. We're talking about a lifestyle, not a concept here.

I love the word creative. As a wanna-be artist, anything that involves creativity definitely has my attention. But what's great about that word in this context for me is that not only does it inspire me to live my dream of filling my life and home with "art", made by me and by others, but it also reminds me that God and I together are the artists of my life as well. God has given me the opportunity, the resources, and the desire to create a life that is pleasing both to Him and to me.

Here's what Sarah has to say about Simple Abundance:

At the heart of Simple Abundance is an authentic awakening, one that resonates within your soul; you already possess all you need to be genuinely happy. The way you reach that awareness is through an inner journey that brings about an emotional, psychological, and spiritual transformation. A deep inner shift in your reality occurs, aligning you with the creative energy of the Universe. Such change is possible when you invite Spirit to open up the eyes of your awareness to the abundance that is already yours.
... [There are] six threads of abundant living which, when woven together, produce a tapestry of contentment that wraps us in inner peace, well-being, happiness, and a sense of security. First there is gratitude. When we do a mental and spiritual inventory of all that we have, we realize that we are very rich indeed. Gratitude gives way to simplicity - the desire to clear out, pare down, and realize the essentials of what we need to live truly well. Simplicity brings with it order, both internally and externally. A sense of order in our life brings us harmony. Harmony provides us with the inner peace we need to appreicate the beauty that surrounds us each day, and beauty opens us to joy. But just as with any beautiful needlepoint tapestry, it is difficult to see where one stitch ends and another begins. So it is with Simple Abundance.
Pick up the needle with me and make the first stitch on the canvas of your life. Invite Spirit to open up the eyes of your inner awareness. Be still and wait expectantly, knowing that in the warp and woof of your daily life as it exists today are the golden threads of a simply abundant tomorrow.

Now that's the way to start the New Year!

A Challenge for the New Year

2007-01-01T09:03:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

It's that time of year again. The time when we wake up with a long (or maybe not so long) list of New Years resolutions, things we're going to do differently, things we're going to get right this year. Whether our goal in prior years has been to lose weight, to get out of debt, to get a raise, to find a new job, to find Mr. Right or lose Mr. Wrong, I bet it's safe to say that they share a similar pattern. Most of us are making the same or similar resolutions year after year - and that's because we're unable to fulfill them. In fact, studies show that most of us have given up on our ambitious goals and fallen back into old habits by March.

Are we bad people? No. Are we lazy and undisciplined? Perhaps, I know I can be. But probably not as much as we've led ourselves to believe. I think the truth beneath our inability to hold firm to our New Years resolutions lies in our approach to the process. Simply put, the process by which we set our goals often sabatoges our ability to successfully meet them.

That's the bad news. But because it's the goal-setting process that stumps us, and because they are OUR goals and WE set them, we have the power to transform the process and thereby increase the likelihood of our success.

I'm sure you've heard the old saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. As Susan Powter would say, let's "stop the insanity" and try something new this year.

This is my year of KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetheart), so in that spirit, I'm implementing a simple 4-point plan for meeting my goals this year:

Put first things first. It sounds simple, but it's not. First of all, I'm constantly amazed at how many people don't have specific goals or clearly articulated core values that govern their lives. When you're not clear on where you're headed, how do you know how to get there? How do you know when you've arrived? What's really important to you? If you're not sure, please do yourself a huge favor and take the time now to figure that out. Once you do, I promise, life becomes so much simpler. Once you've clearly identified your core values and priorities, and made a commitment to living in accordance with them, decisions like how you'll spend your time, your energy, and even your money become second-nature. When faced with choices, you'll start to choose those that are consistent with your values. And the more values-consistent choices you make, the more closely aligned and balanced you'll find your life to be. If you've ever had your "colors done", you know how much easier shopping for clothes and accessories became almost instantaneously once you knew which color palette was yours, because you no longer wasted time trying on (or even looking at) clothes in colors that don't suit you. It's the same principle.
Identify and maximize synergies. I spent a lot of time clarifying my goals and values in 2006 and was pleasantly surprised to realize that there were lots of areas of overlap. In fact, because my overriding mission is to live my life for God, I discovered that my 4 main areas of focus - spiritual, mental, physical and social - were all interrelated. Take Soulful Knitting Ministries, for example. It was a no-brainer for me to find a way to turn what had once been a hobby that I loved, into something much more. Through this ministry we are reaching others in need through our knitting and our encouragement, both with the finished items and the prayerful process of creating them. And even when I knit for myself, I often pray, meditate or spend quality time with other knitters. It's the ultimate two-fer, several times over!
Take small steps. One of the biggest sure-fire ways of sabotaging our success is to set huge goals. Don't misunderstand, big dreams are very important, but in order to be realized, they need to be tackled in manageable steps. When we decide that we're going to change our lives overnight - lose 50 lbs, stop drinking coffee cold-turkey, de-clutter and reorganize the entire house in a weekend - the task often seems so big, so overwhelming, that we either scare or exhaust ourselves out of it before we even get started! Remember the saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step? It's true. Rather than focusing on the HUGE end goal, try focusing on the first step instead. If you want to drink more water, which sounds easier: "Starting today, I'm going to drink 64 oz. of water every day" or "Starting today, I'm going to drink one small glass of water every day". Once you start drinking the one small glass each day, I bet you'll find it wasn't so bad after all. In a few days or weeks, you'll probably be ready to go for a bigger glass, and then maybe two glasses. The same theory applies to exercise, giving up coffee or cigarettes, and Bible study. Which do you think is more benefecial, small goals and small successes or big goals and no success?
Create a rewards system. I did some seasonal retail work this Christmas and was surprised to see how many people used credit cards for all sorts of purchases. Even people I know personally, who I knew didn't need to use credit were using their plastic. Why? Because of the rewards programs offered by the credit card companies. I am not at all a proponent of credit card debt, but I do understand now why people who can and do pay off their credit card balances every month are charging practically everything in order to benefit from the various reward programs. If it works for Visa and MasterCard, I'm betting that we can create our own rewards systems that work equally well for us. As you set your small goals, try setting up small rewards for yourself when you meet them. This doesn't have to be (and probably shouldn't be) anything fancy, but it should be something enjoyable that you can look forward to in celebration of a job well-done... some extra knitting time, a few extra minutes over a cup of hot tea in the morning, a long hot bubble bath, a glass of wine. Only you know what motivates you. Make it fun. And of course, be sure to plan for some bigger rewards when you ultimately reach the end goal.

So, there's no better time than today to get started. With some focus, some planning, some commitment and of course, with prayer, you're on your way to having your best year yet! I know I am.

Please feel free to share your goals/plans for the new year here. If you decide to try any of the suggestions I'd offered, I'd love to know if you find them helpful. And as always, if you have other suggestions, please share.

My prayer is that each one of us will receive all of the love, joy, peace and abudance that our hearts can hold in 2007.

Clearing Out for the New Year

2006-12-29T14:49:00.000-05:00

I still can't believe that 2006 is almost over. It seems like we were just welcoming the New Year in and now it's time to do it all again. Of course, the end of the year is always a good time to reflect on meaningful experiences and lessons learned during the year. But it's also a great opportunity to prepare for new beginnings. I am a firm believer that in order to make room for new blessings of any kind... things, ideas, relationships... we have to first take on the challenge of clearing our space, our hearts and our minds of those things that are no longer useful to us.

The spiritual implications of this concept are enormous, but the same theory applies to our personal space. In her wonderful book, Simple Abundance, Sara Ban Breathnach suggests that we "rid ourselves of anything we do not believe to be beautiful or useful - as we restore order to our homes and simplify our lives." Of course only the wealthiest among us can afford to get rid of everything that we don't absolutely love or need and replace it with something new. But we can beautify our surroundings and simplify our lives by getting rid of some of that "stuff" that just doesn't work for us anymore.

No matter how great that sale was, if you bought something you're never going to use, was it really a bargain? Are you compelled to fill your precious space with gifts you don't like and won't use, just because someone gave them to you? If you haven't worn it for 2 years, are you really planning to? Ask yourself the tough questions and listen to your honest answers.

Consider donating items you no longer use to a charitable organization. Not only will you free up precious space and reduce clutter, but you may even be able to get a tax write-off for your contribution. Consider re-gifting items as appropriate. Surely you know someone who will appreciate those unwanted gifts more than you would. And, finally, if you don't want it, and can't think of anyone else who would either, let it go! You'll be amazed at the difference you'll notice as you free up physical and emotional space for new blessings.

And... since this is primarily a knitting blog... I can't pass up this opportunity to make a shameless plug. If during your clearing out process you find yarn that you no longer want/need, please consider donating it to Soulful Knitting Ministries for use in our prayer shawls for women who have been victims of sexual violence. While full skeins of yarn are great, we are equally appreciative of leftover yarn of any length (at least 12" long).

Merry Christmas

2006-12-26T19:24:00.001-05:00

With rain and spring-like temperatures, it hasn't looked a lot like Christmas this year. In fact, I haven't encountered a single family member or friend who admitted to being "in the Christmas spirit" this year. I wonder why that is.

Perhaps its the ever-increasing commercialization (and attending stress) of the Holiday Season. I remember seeing Christmas decorations this year before Thanksgiving. Retailers seem to be dragging out prime shopping time for as long as possible. Perhaps its the incessant news stories about the ridiculous bickering that's going on in schools, airports, malls and town hall around the country. Apparently it's no longer politically correct to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. After all, someone might be offended. Or perhaps as our children grow up, family squabbles escalate and relationships fade, there are fewer "loved ones" to share this special season with.

Whatever the reason, it's been a difficult holiday season for many people. Perhaps that includes you... If not, consider yourself doubly blessed. Whether Christmas was all you hoped for or not, it's important not to lose sight of the real reason we celebrate this special time. No matter how many gifts are or aren't under our trees this year, whether we even have a tree at all, we have all received a very special gift, God's unconditional love as expressed through His son Jesus. We all have a reason to celebrate - we have hope, we have forgiveness, we have redemption.

It's easy to get caught up in all of the wordly symbols of the holiday season, to compare the "success" of our circumstances to others, and for some of us, to become depressed by the perceived gap between how we spent this Christmas and how we'd hoped to. What's not as easy is to remind ourselves that no matter how alone or depressed or out of sorts we may feel, there is so much to be thankful for.

One of the most effective ways I've found for kicking that "poor me" feeling is to lose myself in service to others. Somehow, doing something for someone else always reminds me that even if I'm feeling helpless to make a difference in my own life at that moment, that I can make a difference in the life of someone else. And thankfully, knitting gives me an easy and enjoyable way to do something for someone else, and get some instant gratification at the same time! This year it was knitting several scarves for a wonderful Bible College student to give as Christmas gifts since I knew she didn't have a lot of money to spend on presents this year. I'm also spending this week winding lots of balls of yarn to send to Knitting Angels who have been patiently waiting for quite some time to start knitting prayer shawls again.

It's amazing how therapeutic a little Soulful Knitting can be!

Sometimes you have to lose to gain

2006-12-02T09:49:00.001-05:00

If you're a regular reader, you may have noticed that I haven't been blogging much lately. To those of you who've written to let me know that you've noticed my absence, I thank you for your concern, your encouragement and your prayers.

God has been moving in momentous ways in my life these past few months. Many of the blessings were immediately obvious... I've completed my certification training to become a Christian Life Coach and have actually started coaching (more on this soon)... the Think Pink Challenge was even more sucessful than I'd imagined it would be... my daughter has enlisted in the Armed Services and is doing wonderfully well... my two knitting-related books are just about ready to be published (more on this soon too) and the list goes on.

Then there are those other blessings... the ones that seemed like disasters at the time that have turned out to be just as sweet, if not sweeter, than those that were clearly beneficial from the beginning. First there was the disappointment of realizing that I wasn't able to raise sufficient funds to purchase Grace Bay House, only to find that God had much bigger and better plans in store. On a more personal level, I've faced significant challenges and changes in my personal life. In nearly every aspect of my personal life, God has shaken things up, shone the light of truth, identified those people, activities and habits that should stay and those that should go. Then, in ways that only He can, He resolved every issue by closing those doors that needed to be closed and opening new ones... The changes were HUGE, and although they appeared to happen suddenly, in retrospect I realize that they'd all be in the works for quite some time.

It hasn't been easy, in fact, some of it has been incredibly difficult. But I'm thankful that I never forgot that God was right there in the midst of it all, and that all things happen for God for those who love and serve Him. Unlike in the past, this time I was able to focus on His will for my life, rather than my own, and discern Him working WHILE He was working, instead of months or years later. Being able to shift my thinking in that way saved me untold grief and tears and has allowed me to recognize, acknowledge and appreciate my blessings such much sooner! I hate to think about all the blessings I probably missed out on in the past because I was too angry, confused, depressed or afraid to step out in faith to claim them.

So what have I learned from all this? That sometimes you have to lose something important in order to gain something even better. In order to make room for new blessings in our lives, sometimes we have to clear out all of the old stuff... thoughts, habits, behaviors, even people... that are holding us back. Is it easy? Of course not, letting go can be tough, particularly when we have to let go of people that are important to us, that we care about, that we have a history with. But sometimes, that's exactly what we have to do in order to move on with the lives that God has planned for us.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately in recent weeks, and just this morning, while thinking about what I wanted to blog about today, an essay that's been circulating around the Internet for years popped into my mind. It wasn't an accident that I remembered it today, so for those who may not have seen it, here it is:

"A Reason, A Season and A Lifetime" by Brian A "Drew" Chalker (copywritten)

People always come into your life for a reason, a season and a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend to you, and they are. They are there for a reason, you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they just walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But only for a season. And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, the season eventually ends.

LIFETIME relationships teach you a lifetime of lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people anyway; and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life. It is said that love is blind, but friendship is clairvoyant.

Are you feeling an indescribable feeling of being "off-balanced" or "off-center". Do you have the sense that things "just aren't quite right" in your life? Often, this happens when the life we're living is inconsistent with our values or the spiritual truths we know to be true deep down inside. Perhaps God is trying to get your attention. Are you choosing to remain stuck in a season that no longer suits who you are? Are you holding on to relationships with people put in your life for a reason, even though the issue they were sent to help with has been resolved?

Change is often frightening and overwhelming. It's scary to go from the comfort of the known, even if it's not perfect, to the uncertainty of the unknown. It's easy to convince ourselves that the risks just aren't worth the potential rewards. It takes courage to assess the situation honestly, pray for divine guidance, and then step out in faith. But then, that's what faith is all about, isn't it?

I encourage you to take a look at your life. Pay particular attention the the people or situations that are causing stress or pain. I'm definitely not suggesting that you run out and get rid of your best friend, divorce your spouse or abandon your children just because you may be having a bad day. But I am suggesting that you prayerfully examine your life to see if you are stuck in a season that has passed or floundering in a relationship that no longer has a reason to be. If you're honest, in some cases the answers will become clear. If you're uncertain, ask God. He'll give you the answers you seek. The question is, what will you do with them?

Sometimes you have to lose to gain

2006-12-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

"A Reason, A Season and A Lifetime" by Brian A "Drew" Chalker (copywritten)

People always come into your life for a reason, a season and a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend to you, and they are. They are there for a reason, you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they just walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But only for a season. And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, the season eventually ends.

LIFETIME relationships teach you a lifetime of lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people anyway; and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life. It is said that love is blind, but friendship is clairvoyant.

Spiritual metabolism

2006-10-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been trying to lose weight and realized that you'd reached a plateau? You're plugging along, losing weight as planned and things are looking great, but then you reach a brick wall. No matter what you eat or don't eat, and regardless of how much or how little you exercise, nothing changes? The first time I heard someone say that their "metabolism was stuck", I thought it was the weirdest thing... until it happened to me. I did some research online and talked to some fitness types and learned that sometimes when you're body gets used to the same routine day after day, it gets complacent and stops working as hard. When that happens,
I'm told that you really have to mix things up in order to jump-start your metabolism to get it working at optimal efficiency again.

Just as our physical metabolism can become sluggish and complacent, I think our spiritual metabolism can get stuck as well. We can get so used to doing the same things, saying the same things, and even praying the same things, that we wake up one day to find that our lives are on auto-pilot. Our prayers are no longer effective, our relationship with God stops growing, and our lives lack luster.

Then something happens, something big, that turns everything upside down. Things and people that we thought we knew surprise and disappoint us, a future that seemed certain suddenly is anything but, and we begin to second-guess our decisions, our dreams, our very existence. I suddenly found myself in that place recently and it's not pleasant. I feel overwhelmed, sad, fearful and useless. I found myself asking "why me? why this? why now?" But then I realized that the real question is "why not?"

I've known for months now that God was working in my life in so many ways... some that were evident and some that were behind the scenes. I knew that I was nearing the end of a season of preparation and that it would soon be time to move into the next season of my life. Why should I have expected that process to be an easy one? Some of the most awesome transitions and transformations involve a period of intense pain prior to completion. I'm reminded of the obvious one... childbirth... but nature is full of countless others. Perhaps rather than focusing on the pain, I need to focus on the promise instead.

I know from experience that our darkest hours provide fertile soil for the planting of seeds of fear, doubt, depression and apathy. They are often the times when plans falter, hope fades and dreams die. We can choose to believe that old recurring voice in our heads that tells us that we can't do it, it won't work, we're not good enough, nobody cares... or we can choose to listen to the voice of truth.

Over the past few days, as I've wondered what will become of my home-based business, whether I'll be able to find a "traditional" job should it come to that, or even where I'll be living, I've thought often about all the money I made and the titles I held in a former life in corporate America... about the nice houses I've had and the great parties I've hosted... about all the trappings of success that I spent so many years trying to accumulate. All things that are no longer a part of the life I live now.

But then I think about the moutain of over 550 pink scarves for The Think Pink Challenge. I re-read the cards, notes and letters from so many women who have been generous in their efforts to make that project a success, thanking me when all the while it's me who should be thanking them. I think about the responses from women who are survivors of sexual violence when they receive a prayer shawl or simply know that there are people who care about them. It's in those moments that I know that this is what my life is about... making a difference in the lives of others. Those pink scarves and those letters and cards mean more to me than any paycheck, promotion or stock option I ever received. And I know that this is what really matters.

So, I've decided to think of my current *personal crisis* as a God's way of jump-starting my spiritual metabolism. I choose to be thankful for the lessons I'm learning and for the support system I'm blessed to have. I choose to thank God for his faithfulness, even in the midst of the storms in our lives. And even though I don't know what it's going to look like, I thank Him in advance for this next season of my lfe.

Think Pink Rocks!!!

2006-10-23T10:48:00.000-04:00

As some of you know, I've been incredibly busy lately with what I'd thought was the "final push" for The Think Pink Challenge. Instead, it turns out that it was an incredible beginning of something that's turned out to be much bigger than I'd imagined. Be sure to visit the blog for the latest update!

Getting my attention

2006-10-02T11:12:00.000-04:00

Oh no! The dreaded back pain is back. You know the one... the deep, consistent, lower back pain that radiates into your hips and thighs and makes anything other than lying perfectly still on a heating pad unthinkable. It started yesterday in church, of all places. I obviously wasn't in the midst of any heavy lifting or contortionist movements, so why then?

It lasted all day yesterday, all through the night (despite sleeping on the heating pad set to HIGH), and it's out in full force this morning. During my prayer time this morning I didn't specifically ask God why my back was hurting now, especially now that I have so much to do, but He told me anyway. It's because I have "so much to do" or so I think.

I'm beginning Week 2 of a 40 Days of Purpose at my church (based, of course, on Rick Warren's book, A Purpose-Driven Life). One of the things I committed to was spending the next 40 days focused on God, removing from my plate all that I could that wasn't absolutely essential to my daily living. I did remove a lot of things, but apparently not enough. God showed me this morning how some of my old habits, driven by long-standing fears, are creeping back into my day, without me even being aware of them. The biggest of these is my financial fears... being single and self-employed I often worry about getting sick... losing a big client... changes in the industry... being underbid by a competitor... the list goes on. It's just so hard for me to let go of this fear and have faith that God will provide all that I need.

God is really working with me on this, and I am beginning to see some progress. I've restructured my debt, eliminated a lot of unnecessary expenses, developed a new budget, started focusing more on savings, and perhaps most importantly, made some drastic changes in my perception of how much I actually "need" to earn. The more I focus on what's really important in my life, things that are NOT material, I realize that I don't need to earn anywhere near as much money as I once thought I did, which has helped reduce my financial stress level quite a bit.

But apparently God's not done with me yet on this one. He made it clear to me this morning that if I'm not going to "slow down and be still" on my own, He'll help me out a bit... voila! He got my attention. I'd be in a lot less pain if I'd gotten the message before the back ache, but you know what? This is one time that I can honestly say that I'm thankful for the pain... Really! It's a very tangible reminder to me that this is a very important lesson that I need to learn, and that God is right there with me to make sure that I "get it"! Needless to say, He's got my attention and my "plate" for the next few weeks just got a whole lot lighter.

So, what about you? Is there a lesson God's trying to teach you? Is there a nagging pain, frustration, problem that crops up just when you least want to deal with it? Perhaps God's talking to you through that situation. Does He have your attention?

Another Think Pink Update

2006-09-30T20:15:00.000-04:00

Remind me not to go away again before the Think Pink Challenge is over in a few weeks. I spent the entire afternoon opening packages and boxes and logging scarves - a total of 153 that arrived over the past week! For an update, visit the Think Pink Challenge blog.

A real life Princess

2006-09-21T06:59:00.000-04:00

This morning on CNN I saw a heartwarming story about Sarah Culberson, a 28-year-old woman whose search to find her birth parents led her to discover that she is an African princess. Sarah's journey doesn't end with the vast wealth that we usually associate with "royalty", it begins with a startling discovery of her passion, her ministry... to help make life better for the residents of the small village in Sierra Leone where her father is chief. If you want to read an inspiring story of how each and every one of can make a difference, visit Sarah's website.

The Meaning of Ministry

2006-09-15T16:44:00.000-04:00

I used to think that “ministers” where those solemn men (and women) who stood behind the pulpit and preached on Sunday mornings. They were a very special breed – to be respected, revered, and maybe even awed a little. They were the ones who had ministries. It wasn’t until much much later in life that I began to understand that the word “ministry” refers to an act or instance of ministering, or “service”. In other words, it’s something that each of us can do, if only we’re willing to open our eyes and our hearts enough to see where there’s a need, and then to make a commitment to helping in any way we can.

Each of us has been given a unique set of gifts and experiences. Sometimes our ministry is readily apparent to us, whether we chose to act on that knowledge or not. Other times, it requires a little thought and a lot of prayer to determine how we can help.

I believe that there is no such thing as a small or insignificant ministry. Certainly there are huge ones, like Joyce Meyer and Paula White, but those are only examples of the countless ways that ordinary people are performing extraordinary acts of service every day.

I’ve recently learned of a wonderful example of how one kind and generous woman is making a big difference in the lives of others. Beth lives in Asheville, NC. In 2004, she spent 11 stressful days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of her local hospital, praying for her infant son who was being cared for there. Last spring, God placed it on Beth’s heart to knit and after teaching herself how, she’s now knitting up a storm and doing something remarkable with her newfound talent.

Last December, Beth taught her first knitting class – in the NICU where her son spent his first days. Unlike the “traditional” nursery knitting, God told Beth to do something different. Rather than knitting FOR the moms who are sitting in the same place she sat for what must have seemed like eternity just a few years ago, Beth now knits WITH them. As Beth explained to me, “the NICU is a quiet but tense place, which provides the perfect opportunity for Satan to fill these mom’s heads with doubts, fears and false guilt.” By teaching them to knit, Beth’s prayer is that they will be occupied so that they won’t have time to listen to him.

Right now, Beth is a one-woman show. She provides the needles, yarn, printed instructions and patterns, all out of her own pocket. She prints the invitations and personally hangs them on all 50 beds in the NICU. She is the only teacher. She needs our help. Beth is in need of #8 knitting needles, worsted weight yarn (acrylic only as per the hospital’s request – very sensitive babies!) and financial donations to help defray her costs.

God has also placed it on my heart to ask if there are others who might be interested in starting a similar ministry in the NICU of your local hospital. What Beth is doing is wonderful, and it’s something that’s needed in hospitals across the country. Imagine the impact on these mothers, their precious babies, the overworked hospital staff...

For more information, or to make a donation, please contact Beth directly:

Beth Ingersoll
20 Timber Nook
Candler NC 28715
ehingersoll@cs.com

Sometimes less is more

2006-09-06T15:01:00.000-04:00

Last night I found myself in a bit of a funk. A got an e-mail from a friend and faithful supporter of SKM to let me know that there had been some questions raised at a popular knitting message board where she had posted a reminder about the Think Pink Challenge. I expected questions like "When is the drop-dead deadline?" or "Who will be receiving the scarves", but instead the posts were really comments about the usefulness of the entire project. One knitter, a breast cancer survivor, wrote "I don't need a pink scarf. I need a cure."

I'll be honest and admit that my first thoughts were angry ones. But they were quickly replaced with sad ones. I can't imagine what it must be like to be so bitter that you can't see the goodness in the hearts of strangers who are simply trying to let you know that they care. This project is completely voluntary, none of the countless women from all over the country who have enthusiastically donated their time and talents to create so many beautiful pink scarves were forced to do so. Similarly, none of the intended recipients of these gifts are forced to accept them. So why, I ask, is it necessary to diminish or demean the simple acts of kindness of others? My grandma used to have a saying... "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything."

Initially, I felt a need to respond to these posts, particularly because my friend who'd submitted the post sent another one informing the other commenters that she had forwarded the link from this thread to me. And, in fact, after much thought, I did craft what I thought was a very *diplomatic* reply. Yes, in retrospect, I realize that in my reply, I was defending our work and *apologizing* if I offended anyone. I added that I'd given several scarves, prayer shawls, afghans and other knitted items to people who were sick over the years and without fail, they had all been delighted and thankful to receive them. I even added that I too had had a personal encounter with breast cancer and that I was so appreciative of the people, both friends and strangers, who expressed their love and concern in so many ways, both big and small. In those darkest days, the loving kindness of friends and strangers alike was much more important to me than the knowledge that they'd sent a check on my behalf to the American Cancer Society.

However, my post was lost in cyberspace when I hit the Submit button and I couldn't get it back. At that moment I realized that it was just as well. Perhaps it was God's way of telling me that not all questions need to be answered and not all criticisms need to be defended. Those who are trying to do good would never get anything done if they spent all their time defending themselves to those who just don't "get it". So, I thanked God for teaching me an important lesson and turned my computer off for the night.

This morning, I went to the local hospital for my weekly volunteering. I'm so blessed that I get to sit in the surgery waiting room for 4 hours a week and knit while assisting the families who are waiting for loved ones. Almost without fail, my knitting always opens the doors to all kinds of conversations, the opportunity to share the work of this ministry, and sometimes, even the chance to share examples of God's goodness...All that while I'm knitting too! It doesn't get much better. :)

This morning, as I was saying good-bye to the OR nurses, 2 that I'd never seen before noticed the pink scarf I was knitting and asked what I was doing. I told them about the Think Pink Challenge and nearly started crying when the both started telling me how awesome and amazing this project was. They said that as OR nurses, they see women come in all the time who are so scared and confused and even angry. These women often feel like God and the whole world has forgotten about them. The nurses said that this project was a wonderful way to show these women that people care about them, are praying for them, and are supporting them in this struggle. One of the nurses said that she was certain that these pink scarves would be "worn like loving hugs" by the women who receive them.

At that point I was so thankful that I wasn't able to send that reply last night. I didn't need to. Isn't it amazing how God has a way of giving us just what we need just when we need it?

Unanswered Prayers

2006-08-30T19:19:00.000-04:00

I love country music, partly because I can decipher the lyrics, but also because the lyrics actually make sense to me... they tell a story, and often, they express my thoughts and feelings in ways that are much more eloquent that I ever could.

For the past few days, I've been reminded of a favorite Garth Brooks song, which says that "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." Sometimes I just shake my head when I think of the boyfriends that I couldn't live without, the jobs I just had to have, the houses that were built just for me, and the winning lottery ticket that I'd use to help change the world. If God had given me half the things I prayed for, my life would have been an even bigger mess than it was. I'm so glad that He is in control, and not me, because He sees the bigger picture, He understands how and where all the pieces fit, and He knows the ending of the movie that is my life before I even get through the opening credits.

If you've been following this blog for a while now, you know that I placed a contract on a beautiful B&B to use as a permanent retreat for women who have been victimized by sexual assault. You also know that I underwent an intensive and aggressive fundraising campaign to raise the funds to purchase the property. The closing was scheduled for today.

You may not know that I've never prayed for anything so hard in my entire life, or been so confused about how I could have so completely missed the boat in thinking that the funding would be there. Yet here I am, on the night that I should have been celebrating the purchase of the property, celebrating something else instead, the clarity of knowing that some of God's greatest gifts are indeed unanswered prayers.

Over the past few weeks, I've really gotten honest with God about this ministry, being as honest as I could with Him about my thoughts, my plans and my fears. I've also prayed for His guidance and wisdom to help me understand why things weren't working out the way I thoughgt they *should*. What I've learned has been amazing. Sometimes when we think God is saying "No", He's not. He's saying "Not yet"... "Not here"... or "Not this way." I have a much clearer vision of the direction this ministry is to take now, and it should come as no surprise that God's plan is much bigger and better than any I could have imagined! Rather than investing the time and energy in *running* a B&B, the retreats are to be held in existing B&B's around the country instead. The benefits are so obvious that I can't believe I didn't think of this... the financial savings are tremendous, more women from different parts of the country can be served more easily, Grace Bay Charities can focus our energies and our funds where they need to be - with the women we are being called to serve, rather than being bogged down in the day-to-day challenges of running a B&B.

During what can only be called a "divine appointment" with a gracious and wise woman that I met on my last trip to the Shore, I came to understand that although the outcome of my efforts over the past 2 months are not what I'd originally thought they'd be, that time was not lost. God knew there were things I needed to see, people I needed to meet, lessons I needed to learn, and a lot of things I needed to get done, and everything worked out as exactly as it needed to for those things to happen.

So, here I am, facing not a disappointing ending, but an exciting new beginning. I thank God that He loves me enough NOT to give me everything I ask for!

I'm Thinking Pink!

2006-08-30T15:45:00.000-04:00

More beautiful pink scarves are arriving daily, boxes of them! Since I updated the Think Pink Challenge blog on Sunday, I've received 17 more scarves. Keep those scarves coming ladies, we have about 4 weeks to go!

In case you missed it at the other site, here's a picture of some of the scarves. I'm about to start a new shelf. Aren't they beautiful? Thanks to everyone who's helping to make this project a success.

Berroco Rocks!

2006-08-30T12:49:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Berroco for donating a HUGE box of absolutely beautiful yarns to help support our ministry. Not only did they send some of their top of the line yarns, but they sent several skeins of each... Softwist, Suede, Optik, Zodiac, Chinchilla and more. These yarns are absolutely stunning! Please be sure to visit Berroco's website!

Thank you Berroco!

A technical question

2006-08-26T07:15:00.000-04:00

Now that the summer slackfest is almost officially over, it's time to get back to blogging. I have several updates that I'm hoping to post this weekend. But in the meantime, can anybody help me figure out how to get the sidebar items (scroll down to the bottom) to appear at the top of the blog the way they used to? I've removed everything that I thought was wide enough to cause a problem with the margins, but with no luck. What's the point of putting all those great links off to the side if no one can see them, eh?

Thanks!

Spiritual Feminism

2006-08-12T07:29:00.000-04:00

I do not consider myself a feminist in the traditionally political sense of the term. With the exception of a slightly militant run in my early 30's, I've never been the activist type. However, I've noticed a subtle but significant shift in the last year or so, which seems to be shaping a new purpose, a new passion, for the rest of my life.

In trying to summarize this paradigm shift, the term "spiritual feminism" comes to mind. The focus is on the spiritual and emotional empowerment of women, particularly but not exclusively women who have been bruised, battered or broken by the wounds of sexual violence... hence the birth of this ministry as well as Grace Bay Charities. I feel a sense of urgency, perhaps expectancy is a better term, to help propel this movement forward.

I believe there is a growing battalion of women who are yearning to be warriors for Christ, but who simply don't know how to enlist. Many of these women are like me, in their 40's and 50's. (Did you know that 40 is the new 35? I remember a time when I thought "middle age" began at 35. Now 65 seems more like it.) This seems to be the time in which women begin to assess the first half of their lives and begin to ponder how to spend the latter half. Many come to realize that much of their early adult years were spent living by society's rules and expectations and success was measured by the world's standards. Our "value" was measured by our professional success, our mothering skills, our outward appearance, our marriages or other significant relationships with others. Notice a theme here? Each of these roles involves, to varying degrees, how we are perceived by others as a function of how we address the needs of others. It's no wonder that we're waking up now wondering where all the years went, often feeling tired and unfulfilled.

Perhaps our children have left the nest. For some of us, our significant others have left as well (not always a bad thing!), those jobs that nearly drove us insane with anxiety, stress and bone-rattling fatigue don't seem quite as important any more. Many of us even shocked our families, friends and co-workers by deciding to step (no jump) off the treadmill and opt for a saner, simpler life.

So what now? We're standing at a cross-roads. There are choices, finally. We are no longer on auto-pilot, blindly forging ahead in the roles that others have set for us. Now the choice of who we want to be, and how we want to spend the rest of our lives is up to us. Yes, our past (warts and all) have brought us to this place, but they are behind us now and our focus is forward. Which way do we go? Which life do we choose? There may never be a more important choice than this.

Dale Hanson Bourke describes the energy of this time in our lives better than I ever could in an absolutely phenomenal book called, Second Calling. If any of what I'm saying here even remotely resonates with you, I HIGHLY recommend it! In talking about the shift from "success to significance" for the second half of our lives, she says that...

Almost twenty-two million [women in the U.S.] are between the ages of forty and fifty, with another twenty million joining their ranks in the next decade... We also represent an unprecedented level of health, education, and wealth in this country...
Many of us are looking for something more than a job to fill our days. Even those of us who work find that we invest less of our identity in our job and more in the rest of our life. Many of us are seeking deeper spiritual roots...

If all the Christian women aged forty and older got truly serious about seeking God and letting him use us in amazing ways, we could completely change our world... But our incredible opportunity would come with a few challenges. We would have to know God well and seek him as if our lives depended on it. We would have to eliminate the frivolous time wasters in our lives and focus on what was really important. We would wake up each day and ask God to show us what he wanted us to do. We would have to believe that God wanted to use the second half of our lives with more purpose, power, and passion than anything we ever achieved in the first half... If millions and millions of women listened to that whisper and followed their second calling, it is simply breathtaking to think of what God could do."

Wow! That's Dale's dream and I share it. And for those of us who believe that the "sins of our past" make us unlikely and unworthy candidates for this crusade, she offers these words:

... God wants to redeem all of the broken heels, chipped nails, dead-end jobs, broken marriages, less-than-perfect children, bad perms, fad diets, lost friendships, and PMS of the first half of our lives. He needed us to get those things out of the way. He was with us then, but he wants us to really be with him now. He wants us to trust in something so much bigger than the best diet, the most wonderful sale, the biggest house on the block, the finest china, the top title, even the perfect husband. He wants us to know that just as he can take a woman who feels bitter and empty to being full to overflowing [Naomi from the Book of Ruth], so, too, can he transform even our best lives into something so much more.

I can't think of a better way to spend the second half of my life. Can you?

When God makes us wait

2006-08-04T09:44:00.000-04:00

I'm an impatient person. I want what I want when I want it... and that usually means NOW. I accept responsibility for this weakness in my character, but I also recognize that the world we live in encourages impatience in nearly every aspect of daily living. Look at the way we eat - we've gone from fast food restaurants to drive-through dining, from quick-and-easy dinners to complete dinners in a bag or box that we simply pop in the microwave. There's instant messaging, at-home pregnancy tests, nearly instantaneous news alerts 24 hours a day, and the list goes one.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against technology. I'm just saying that instant everything isn't helping me practice my waiting skills. One of the most striking examples of this is a phone conversation I had not too long ago while doing some contract work at a diabetes call center. I was speaking to a customer who was complaining that the 5 seconds that it took to receive her blood sugar reading was too long. My goodness! If I'm not mistaken, it used to be that diabetes patients would have to go to the doctors office, have their blood drawn, have the sample sent to the lab for analysis, the results returned to the doctor's office and then receive a call, days later with the test results... and now 5 seconds is too long?

How about people who complain about how long it takes to fly across country, particularly if you have to change flights in another city somewhere along the way. Imagine how whiny we must seem compared to the settlers who spent months making the same journey... Compare our challenges in a crowded airport with theirs and it doesn't take long to realize how spoiled we really are. Our perspective on time is being manipulated by the times we live in.

God knows this, and despite our impatience, our need for instant gratification, He loves us enough to encourage us to wait. Sometimes we listen to His gentle leadings. Sometimes more drastic measures are required to get our attention. Whether we're attuned to the gradual slowing down, or only respond to the grinding halt, when God says its time to wait, it's time for us to listen.

Why does God make us wait? There are many answers to that question. Some of those answers may be found in asking some of these questions of ourselves:

Is this really want I want... not just at this moment, but in the long run?
Are my motivations sincere and consistent with God's word?
Is what I want consistent with God's plan for my life?
Is now the right time?
Am I ready for the responsibility that comes with getting what I want?
Have I sufficiently prepared myself for this blessing?
Why is it so important to me to have this blessing right now?

I'm in a holding pattern for God and I think I'm beginning to understand why. I'm being forced to wait for something really big. As difficult as it is on some days, I'm choosing to walk by faith, not by sight, and to believe that God is moving heaven and earth on my behalf, and that even though I may not see anything happening, that doesn't mean that it isn't.

So instead of worrying about the wait, I've been praying that God will show me what I need to be doing during the wait. Perhaps these instructions will be helpful to you too:

Pause. This one may be obvious, but then again, if you're like me, stopping to be still is very difficult. But it is critical. It's impossible to know where you are if you're moving so fast that you can't even read the road signs. If you think you may be lost, you can't continue to drive and read your map at the same time. Sometimes we really do need to stop, take a look around, figure out where we are relative to where we want to be, and at least ask ourselves whether or not we're on course.

Pray. Another no-brainer, but one that sadly is easy to overlook when we're caught up in a whirlwind of anxiety, worry, self-doubt, anger, depression because we're not receiving the blessings we want when we want them. Of course it's important to ask God for the desires of our hearts. I think Joyce Meyer said it well when she said that "Prayers that aren't prayed will never be answered." But that's not enough. Supposed what we want simply isn't what's best for us? We may not know that. But God does. If we've been praying and praying for something and it hasn't happened yet, perhaps we should consider praying for God's will rather than ours. That's hard, and sometimes it's scary, but it helps to remember that God will not ask us to do anything or give us anything that He hasn't also given us the ability to handle.

Plant. The concept of seed faith is a fascinating one to me. I grew up believing in the Golden Rule, but I wasn't aware of the principle of planting seeds as a necessary prerequisite to receiving blessings. Those of us who want to reap extraordinary harvests (blessings) must, I repeat, MUST, plant extraordinary seeds in the lives of others. The gardening analogy is a perfect one to help understand this concept, particularly in the context of waiting. A gardener would never expect her crops to grow without planting seeds first. Once those seeds are planted, the don't grow into fruits, vegetables or flowers overnight, and rarely do they grow without significant help from the gardener. Those seeds require fertile soil, fertilizer, sunlight and water to grow. Our spiritual seeds are the exact same way. I've learned that the best way for me to receive a blessing is to be a blessing to someone else. Even if it's not a one-to-one exchange (and it usually isn't), I feel so much better than I do when I'm sitting around feeling sorry for myself.

Prune. If you've ever grown flowers, you know that pruning or dead-heading is important if you want to maximize the growth and bloom potential of your flowers. When I first started growing flowers, it was hard to cut back anything but the deadest of leaves. I couldn't understand how cutting my plants would results in even more blossoms. Once I decided to give it a try I was amazed at the results! It's the same principle that applies to getting deadends trimmed from our hair. Tell a woman who's been trying desperately to grow her hair that in order for it to grow she's going to have to get it trimmed. That's the last thing she wants to hear. But once she does it, she'll realize that those dull, dead split ends were depriving the rest of her hair of the nutrients it needed. Once the split ends are gone, the rest of the hair has room to grow!

So what does this have to do with our lives? If we look closely, each of us is likely to see dead or dying areas of our lives that are sucking the energy out of us (spiritually, emotionally and physically). Trust me, it is extremely difficult to welcome new blessings into our lives when our lives are already full of old habits (and perhaps people) that are sucking us dry. Take an inventory of your life while you're waiting. See if there's anything or anyone there that's displeasing to God or that simply no longer works for you. Think of it as cleaning your closet. It's hard to justify buying a great new wardrobe for the new you when your closets are full of old clothes. If you can no longer wear them, or no longer want to, let them go and make room for some new ones!

Prepare. If God were to give you that blessing right now, would you be ready for it? My guess would be that for most of us, the answer is "No". Perhaps we're praying for a bigger, nicer house. Are we taking care of the house that we have? Is it neat, well-maintained and clutter-free? Are we praying for more money? Are we tithing, paying our bills on time, and otherwise being wise financial stewards of the money we currently have? Think about it, if your children were always breaking their toys, leaving them around the house, or throwing them in a closet and never playing with them, would you be more or less inclined to buy them bigger or more expensive toys whenever they asked? I imagine that God feels the same way about us. Before asking for more, perhaps we should evaluate how we're using the blessings that God has already given us.

Praise. This is another one that is so important and so often overlooked. Many times we get so focused on what we want next from God that we forget to thank Him for what He's already done for us. No matter what our current circumstance, or how far we are from where we want to be, there still isn't enough time in the day to thank God for all that He has already done for us.

So there you have it... next time you get anxious in the wait, try a few of the suggestions here. It'll make the wait more worthwhile.

Knitting for a cause

2006-07-26T18:15:00.000-04:00

Looking for a charitable organization to knit (or crochet) for? Look no further... Interweave Press probably has the most comprehensive list of charitable knitting organizations I've seen. I'm adding the link to the list of Featured Projects on the sidebar for future reference.