Her Prayer Shawl

An article of clothing with a story attached:

Today is my Momma's birthday in heaven.  

She turned 88 today.  

If she were still here I would be baking a cake or pie.  

I would call her and say, "Hey it's cappuccino time!" 

I would sing to her and make her a homemade card.  

I'd have found something special that I know she'd enjoy.  

I still miss doing all those things together.  

When I was reading my Bella Grace magazine there was a prompt about going through your closet and finding things with stories.  There's alot of those in my closet; I'm sure you have some too.  

When you're sentimental you tend to hang onto things that hold special meaning of someone you loved or that thing you did or place you were at.  <3  

The yarn above is a prayer shawl.  

It was a gift to Momma and I;  found in my mailbox by a woman neither of us knew named Lynn.  

There was a note attached.  She said she heard about us through a friend and while she knitted; she prayed for us both -by name.  Her gift meant so much to us both.  Many times my Momma wrapped up in Lynn's prayers.    Chemo and radiation made her cold and this shawl felt extra warm with all that love inside.    But one time in particular I will never forget.  It was our last photo together.  

Through much of my Mom's illness she fought hard.  I think she lived for about five years after her lung cancer diagnosis.  During most of that time the talk was always upbeat.  She would beat it. 

One day though we curled up in her big king size bed and snuggled  together under Lynn's prayers.  My husband was there that day and I remember he poked his head in and took a photo of us.  It was the last one.  I won't show the photo out of respect to my Momma.  It was raw. 

We were raw with bloodshot eyes and a sadness unlike anything we'd ever known.  

Curled under those prayers we opened up.

Our conversation had never been in the place we found ourselves.  

We cried and said the things that up til then we couldn't find the words.  

And I told her how much I was going to miss her.  

She was my best friend and was my Mom and my Dad to me. 

She was my next door neighbor with a  path  worn between our doors.  

I didn't know how I could do life without her.  But we held eachother under this sacred shawl and I know the love of God was and is still woven through the fibers.  

After she went to heaven I brought it home with me.  

I've never washed it and I'm sure it still carries her beautiful gray hairs.  

I'm so grateful that God chose me to be her youngest. 

I'm grateful I got to be there through it all.  

I'm grateful I got to hold her hand all night long until 

she stepped into His Kingdom.  And most of all I'm grateful 

to have assurance that I'll get to see her again one day.  

I'm also grateful to a kind woman named Lynn who stepped out in faith and 

sent us such a beautiful gift.  

I can still feel her prayers.  

Happy heavenly birthday Momma.  

dragonflykisses xoxo 

Leaonie