Just when I thought my heart could swell with no more love for the gift of happiness in my children's eyes, I opened one last gift under the tree. A little wrapped package with a card attached. It was a from a friend that I acquired shortly before Noah's birth, in a mommy-to-be group. And we've kept in touch since that time, often sharing life's ups and downs - mostly always being a listening ear and a long distance hug. I opened the small card and it read:
"On hard days, wrap yourself in this shawl and know that you are not alone. You have people all around the world who love and admire you and who wish they could do more to lighten your load. And God is always there for you too, even in the moments when it doesn't feel like it. And on good days, you can wrap yourself in the shawl and celebrate. I'm praying for many good days ahead. Happy 5th Anniversary of being a truly magnificent mother! You work harder, fight harder, love harder than anyone else I know. This is a prayer shawl for you, from our church's knitting ministry. The person made it prayed for the recipient as she made it, and I prayed for you as I chose and wrapped it."
The card that describes the gift: " O Loving God, Renew and strengthen the person who receives this shawl, today and every day. Grant them peace to lighten life's journey and provide hope to sustain them. May this gift of yarn and prayers woven together be a sign of Your loving presence. Hear our prayers for the one who uses it, that You would surround them with tranquility when they are afraid, understanding when perplexed, warmth when they are weary, and peace when they feel uncertain. May this shawl remind them that they are not alone. Amen."
It was the most meaningful and special gift I received. The true heart and gift of Christmas. That one gift brought me such feelings of comfort and of being loved during all of the hard times in life - for all that I experience. It felt as if God sent me this care package via the heart of another to remind me that I'm indeed not alone and that through it all I can continue to find hope in all things possible. My pink shawl to carry me through all the pain and the joy.
I pray that you all felt that kind of powerful love this holiday season, it is the kind of love that will carry you into the new year to find strength and courage to assist you through life's journey. Merry Christmas to all.
Love,
Noah's Miracle by Stacy Warden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.