If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I recently made a pair of prayer shawls for my cousin Cindy to use in her addiction counseling practice. After I finished them, I took them to church, where my pastor blessed them. Each member of the congregation laid a hand on them in prayer on the way to the rail for Communion. The next day, I tucked them into a box and mailed them off to my cousin.
I was just starting to wonder if the box had arrived safely (and discovering I’d misplaced the tracking number) when Cindy’s letter arrived. Not only a thank you card, but a two-page letter to go with it. She wanted to tell me about her experience when she put the pink and white shawl around her own shoulders:

“When I wrapped myself in it, a jolt of energy (like a feathered thunderbolt) rushed through me, my inner core was enveloped in intensifying warmth, the color pink shot through my mind, swirling around my thoughts, then blue covered me, leading off into the most beautiful cloud of green.” She went on to explain that for her the pink symbolized love, the blue protection and the green was for healing.
“Once I caught my breath,” she continued, “prayers of gratitude verbally took over, leading to humbleness of my whole heart, my spirit and mind. I felt that I had transcended into a realm of blessings, grace and deep understanding of all the love and intention of every knitted pearl…Know that the use of these shawls are indeed an inner miracle awaiting the client, offering a bestowed gift of pure healing, courage and strength. Wow!”

I, too, say, “Wow!” This is the first time anyone has told me that a prayer shawl I made had this effect on them. And yet, why should I be amazed? In my blog entitled, “Your Two Hands,” I wrote about how each shawl comes through the shawl maker from God, how His love, compassion and His own experience of suffering are poured into each stitch. Every shawl I make is steeped in prayer, but the ones I sent to Cindy are more personal than most. For many years I could only watch and pray in anguish as one of my sons pursued a life of addiction. The heartbreak of those years is knitted into those shawls along with my longing for all the sons and daughters enslaved by drugs to be free. Please pray with me for these folks on their difficult journey.
Cindy says, “I’ve yet to experience the power in the second shawl. I’ll write you when I do or watch when the client does!” I’m excited to see how God’s going to show up in Cindy’s practice. I’ll keep you posted!