Splendor

"The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily did not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness." -- Therese of Lisieux

I have often thought of this quote over the last eight years -- but not in the way Saint Therese intended. She was talking about all the kinds of people and their gifts that were needed to build God's kingdom here on earth, and how we all needed to be different for that to happen. I loved that image of spring and all the different flowers that bloom, and it stuck in my head.

I came to think of it in terms of the Crafty Angels as it became clear to me that each and every one of you have unique gifts and talents, and each of you like to make different types of yarny goodness in different ways. In the early years, I sometimes worried that we might not have enough baby caps, or scarves, or something -- yet it always turned out that we had exactly what we needed, when we needed it, for the people who needed it. I may be dense about some things, but it didn't take long for me to see God's hand at work among you!

Your individual uniqueness never ceases to amaze me. Never once, in all these years, have two people made exactly the same yarny goodness thing in exactly the same way! Can you believe that? Never! I can now pick up a bit of yarny goodness and probably 90% of the time tell you exactly who made it. Your work is as distinctive as your face or fingerprints. And every single year, you make - by divine grace - exactly what we need for the familes we serve. That still blows me away, every single time I open a box, envelope, or bag full of your love.

Speaking of boxes and bags, more love came in late last week! First up is Angel Cathy Jones from Chicago. There was a big bag of her yarny goodness on my front porch when I went to bring in the Sunday paper - Pastor Greg had brought it over from church early in the morning. What a great way to start my Sunday! Want to see what she made?

Isn't this a great afghan for one of our senior men at Friendly Towers or a man who has suffered an illness or loss? I really like how Cathy used various shades of burgundy in this blanket. Our Supervisor Cowboy liked it so much he refused to get off of it after I took this photo - which you'll see in the photos below!

She also made these great scarves -- two of which will be just great for the men we serve at Good News Community Kitchen. The other will be perfect for a woman in one of Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters.

"Do I like this prayer shawl, Mom! It is so soft and warm. One of our 'grandmas' will love it!"

Angel Cathy also made this lovely prayer shawl for one of the senior women we serve at Friendly Towers. I really like how Cathy was brave enough to CROCHET it out of Homespun yarn, which we all know is very dificult to crochet with!

Thank you, Cathy, for sharing your gifts with the families we serve and helping the Crafty Angels garden bloom! Your yarny goodness will bring light and life to so many this winter!

A box of love came all the way from Australia, too. Angel Hazel Lindsay and Armitage's Army have been very busy -- just look:

I just loved the cabled detail on the yoke of this baby sweater.

Aren't these baby sweaters just gorgeous? They will be just perfect for the newborns we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital. And I really like the mitts -- these are so helpful in keeping babies from scratching themselves with their tiny hands - and keeping those tiny hands warm in the winter. Hazel's work is so fine that I just know the new moms will treasure these tiny keepsakes!

And there was more in the bottom of the box:

Incredibly soft, fluffy, warm scarves for the homeless women we serve - which will be most appreciated this winter, because it is supposed to be very cold here this winter.

Hazel, thank you so much for taking the time to create so much love for so many of our little, and not so little, ones! I do not have the patience to use such fine yarn and needles as you do - I am in awe of your talent!

What a beautiful garden and spring you Angels create - each and every year. I can't wait to start distributing all this yarny goodness!

About the photo up top: doesn't it look like our Supervisor is looking really pitiful? Supervisor Cowboy was TRULY glad I didn't try and put one of the baby hats on him -- I took pity on him because it was a night with very full moon. Both Cowboy and Princess Cody Grace the Magnificent are VERY sensitive to full moons - they actually spent the entire day hiding in their respective closets. I just didn't have the heart to torture him with the baby hats - although he would have looked so darned cute in one of Hazel's baby hats!!