I crochet shawls for my church's Prayer Shawl Ministry. I had held back this shawl from taking it to church. Each time I took it out of the tote I hesitated and put it back into the tote. When a DAR friend, Lorraine, asked to make a shawl for Jann, I without hesitation said I have one already.    I was worried it wouldn't be "enough" but wow!  Dear Ellen, Thank you so very much for this beautiful shawl which I have around my shoulders as I type this… the colors are all my favorites and it has been so cold here & the shawl perfectly covers my shoulders and brings back the most wonderful feelings of when my mom would crochet us vests, booties (for adults) and Christmas ornaments…..  my nephew and I were talking on the phone over the weekend about how much we miss mom crocheting and how we never took the time to let her teach us how to do it …… one of my big regrets.   I could crochet a straight line, but I could never make a turn around to make the second row!   (Does that make sense?) So not only did your gift touch my heart for thinking of me, but to me the timing was so perfect and I’m not sure if you believe in these things, but to me it was another sign from my mom that she was watching over me during the fires and wanted me to know she was protecting and thinking of me…..  which I knew anyway - but the timing of your gift just reinforced that spiritual connection.  So please know your gift is very special and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, it is almost like a secret Harry Potter invisible cloak…..  wearing it just makes me feel so safe, warm and cared about.  Thank you.    With much love, your kindness means very very much, Jann

My mother had been ill for a long time and blindness had developed. She was also unable to communicate much, and we were not sure how much she understood. One day when she was in hospice and nearing the end of her life, I was visiting with her and describing the weather outside her window. The clouds were dark, the wind was blowing wildly, tree branches were swaying, and leaves were turning over. A sure sign of a thunderstorm was rolling in. My Mom was a very faithful women even through all her surgeries and treatments. So, before I left, I asked Mom if we could pray together. I thanked God for his many blessings we as a family have received, I asked for his continued loving care of my mother. Then I asked Mom what she wanted to add to the prayer not really expecting an answer, she said ‘thank you Lord for the gentle rain”. I didn’t understand, I had just described to her the coming of a thunderstorm, gentle rain? As I thought about her prayer more, I realized it was a life lesson for me. I tend to dwell on the worst outcomes in life, the thunderstorms. She had at times talked me away from making more out of a situation than it really was. Now I often remember her prayer and say it to myself not just when it is raining gently but when the thunderstorms seem to be approaching in life. It reminds me to be faithful and to trust in God’s care of me no matter what, as she did. It never did rain.