TGIF

"Comfort Shawls ... made for centuries universal and embracing,
symbolic of an inclusive, unconditionally loving, God.
They wrap, enfold, comfort, cover, give solace,
mother, hug, shelter and beautify.
Those who have received these shawls have been
uplifted and affirmed, as if given wings to
fly above their troubles…”

Written in 1998 by: Janet Bristow © 2005

Yesterday I dropped of this shawl at the church to be given away to someone in need of comfort. Whenever I give one to someone I know, I include the text above. I do not see them as strictly a religious item but an item of comfort. I know some of you that read my blog probably think, "Oh God, she is knitting another shawl."

I like shawls because there are so many patterns that I can try from easy to difficult and everything in between. They are a bit "one size fits all" and it is my small way of giving back to the community in which I live. Most of my knitted shawls go to people I have never met and will never meet.

It is often tough for me to volunteer in the traditional sense so...this is my gift I can share. I don't need a pat on the back but every once in a while, I get one and it warms my heart and reinforces these thoughts.

I got a letter yesterday from the daughter of a recipient that we know and I wanted to share a small part with you.

The daughter says:

"I also wanted to let you know how much Mom loves her prayer shawl. She just couldn't believe you made it for her. It is so beautiful and I know it took so much time. Mom uses it all the time, especially when she is crying and praying."

Ok...I will stop now about the prayer shawls.

After I dropped off the shawl, I stopped at Saver's to check out their knitting stuff and see if I could find a sweater or two to recycle and found the items below: 8 stitch holders, 4 pairs of straight needles (8 inch, I think) and a crochet hook and it all cost me $4.09. I have found, that for certain items, I do like using straight needles but only if they are the shorter ones. I still can't stand the really long ones. They seem way too unwieldy to me.
Simple things make me happy. I picked up a face plate and "holster" for my new cell phone on ebay. While I was at the mall trying to get my ipod fixed, I stopped by a kiosk that sold face plates and asked how to put this one on my phone. The young man, probably about 19-20, was very nice and did it for me. I love it.....just makes my phone look different than David's and is "fun".
And finally, an ipod update: I got ANOTHER ONE because the 2nd one was truly dead. The guys at the genius bar were giving me a bad time and told me that maybe it died because of the music that was being played on it and asked if I was playing NSync or something? I said no, it died while I was listening to a knitting podcast (I was knitting while I was waiting in line). The "Genius" said, hmmmm....didn't know they had one of those. Hey, there is a podcast of everyone!

Ok...I guess that is enough babble for one post. An amazing mind, right? Oh yeah, you know it baby!