June Recap

Summer can be so hectic for the ladies of the ministry, but they have all been hard at work and I, for one, am loving every minute of it!

I finally remembered to photograph our meetings and projects and I'm so happy to share them with everyone. (I get too caught up socializing and forget to grab the camera!) :) Check out the awesome work!

LtR: Nancy, Marie, Lynda, Jan

Getting to know all of these women has been fantastic, there's people here from all walks of life, but sometimes it takes some conversation and a common goal before you discover the incredible things about them.

One of our members shared that while she was undergoing chemotherapy, she found that it was important for her to surround herself with bright, cheerful colors. They allowed her to maintain an upbeat and positive outlook, and reminded her to count the blessings in her life, even though they were occasionally difficult to see. I was so thankful she shared this experience and will definitely keep it in mind when I shop for yarn again. She is also very talented at accessorizing her shawls. This flower is removable! How cool is that? Not going to lie, I'm a little jealous. My attempts to accessorize aren't nearly as successful, maybe she can give me a little guidance. :) I have a sneaking suspicion that she also has inspector gadget fingers, she flies through projects!!! She's made so many shawls for the ministry I've lost track, as well as completed smaller versions for her granddaughters! I love that she's passing that on to her family, I may not know how to crochet now if it wasn't for my own mother and grandmother!

Another awesome thing has been seeing each other progress in our crochet endeavors! Another of our members learned to crochet during our first meeting and I love watching her grow and blossom! She has been trying new techniques, stitches, yarns, and she even bought a cool, personalized bag to carry her projects! (FYI men, when a woman buys a bag for a specific hobby, you know it's serious!) :)

I've also enjoyed watching another member as she rediscovers her love of crochet. I mentioned before that she set it down for years and picked it up again when we began our ministry...and then promptly blew the rest of us out of the water! She has been exploring different styles of shawls and has inspired me to go beyond my own limits and 'think outside the box.' I'm always excited to see what she brings in because I know I'll always be amazed and say, "I never thought of that!"

I also love to see the sharing of knowledge between members. There are more than a few women here who are so immensely talented,  and they are such a wealth of information. I admire their prowess and appreciate their ability to look at a pattern or a project and instantly give me advice on how to improve. There's just some things you simply can't learn on the internet and I am so appreciative of their wisdom and guidance for everyone.

I'm not sure what I enjoy the most, getting to know these incredible women, the actual crochet work, the quiet time to speak to God, or the impact these shawls will have, but I know that there's just something fantastic here and I thank God daily for everything that he has done and created! What do you thank God for?