This month AR members were invited by Dr. Paul McDonald and Kathleen Daniels to take part in a challenge called Acts of Kindness | Sharing Love & Joy This Holiday Season. This is one of my contributions.
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For many years now I have been crocheting scarves for the homeless. My scarves along with other scarves are given to the homeless in Philadelphia just before Christmas. This year I was told they were distributed to the homeless in the Kensington neighborhood of the city.
I do this because it is a way I can give to others who are less fortunate than me, and it helps me to feel like I am making a difference for someone on those cold days and nights that happen in the city of Brotherly Love.
The way I got into this yearly ritual, was, years ago I was working with a few women who shared a book that had been published called the Prayer Shawl Ministry. The book detailed how a group of women created a group to make shawls for others in need, as well as to celebrate happy occasions. The book has prayers that can go with the shawls, blankets and scarves. The women I worked with were yarn people like myself; knitters, weavers and crocheters. A few of us decided to create our own Prayer Shawl Ministry group almost 20 years ago. Today the group has evolved into an online gathering of a few steady regulars that meet monthly via zoom, which helps those that are now living at a distance, to still attend.
I am an irregular attender, but I stay connected to the group because I want to keep making scarves for others. I always have an eye out for low cost yarn at thrift stores which keeps me supplied. For me, the making of these, 5 inch wide by 60 inch long scarves is very meditative. I managed to make just over 20 this year.
Early December is the yearly deadline, which gives the daughter of another member of the group time to deliver all the scarves before Christmas.
The fact that I have the ability and the desire to make handmade items for others, helps me to feel that I am putting some good into this world, of which much good is needed.
Info about the original Prayer Shawl Ministry and my PSM group.
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