I’m Covered

January 31, 2011 | My Jottings

On Christmas morning I opened up one of my gifts and was surprised and delighted to receive this:

It’s a beautiful prayer shawl knitted for me by my daughter Sharon. She dyed the yarn herself, and she knows I spend most of my (too infrequent) prayer time and Bible reading time in our black and cream toile bedroom upstairs. So she made a black and cream shawl for me, with a loose cable in the center. I love it.

It’s not just to keep me warm when I sit in one of the chairs by the windows in our bedroom nook, even though this prayer shawl does keep me warm.

It’s not just to remind me that prayer is a covering, a protection, a clearer lens, a comfort, a connection with the One who made me and astonishingly, loves me and wants me to talk with Him.

This prayer shawl is a symbol of all that is precious to me. The love of my family. The lavish gift of a home. The grace of God. The privilege of having an audience any time I choose, with the One who holds together the universe’s billions of galaxies. With the One who holds me together.

Sometimes in the morning Michael joins me for some chair time, although I’m not sharing my shawl with him. Edith and Mildred also like to hear God’s Word read aloud.

My prayer shawl reminds me that I am wrapped in God’s love, in my three daughters’ love, and in the love of the icicles outside our bedroom window that have now gone from being stalactites to stalagmites. Wait, these icicles don’t love me at all! Forget I said that! My thoughts got away from me there.

Winter gets so long here, and is so cold and colorless, I sometimes get confused. Sorry.

And who has to worry about Seasonal Affective Disorder when the sun is shining so anemically and reluctantly cheerily and brilliantly in the sky? No one that I know of.

One more day left in January. That much closer to spring.

In the meantime, I know I’m covered.

Comments

  1. Kay says:

    I love how Michael’s Schnauzer-embellished t-shirt blends in with the wall covering. (like some sort of toile-camouflauge?)
    …Hang in there California Girl. Spring truly IS just around the corner.
    LY!

  2. Just Julie says:

    You noticed the Schnauzer t-shirt. 🙂 He wears it once in a while for me, and Sara. 🙂 Thank you Kay. 🙂

  3. Dorothy says:

    The shawl is beautiful and looks so warm and inviting. Julie, the pictures of you are fantastic – always knew you were beautiful and now I know you have one of the best profiles that I have ever seen. I know that you are happy January is over. Michael and the schanuzer look very comfortable.

  4. Just Julie says:

    Dorothy – you are the first person to ever say that – maybe I should enter each room sideways now since that may be my (only) best view! Thank you for being so nice and encouraging to all of us! LY.

  5. Christy says:

    I love all of you but the puppy dog takes the prize

  6. Just Julie says:

    I think she does too. Isn’t Edith (Schmeedith Needle) adorable? 🙂

  7. Lloyd says:

    Beautiful, Julie; lady and story. The Schnauzer must be a Baptist; he/she’s sleeping in church.

  8. Just Julie says:

    That is pretty funny, Lloyd. Edith never struck me as a Baptist Schnauzer! I always thought she was an obsessed end-times dog (whatever denomination that would be?) because all her spare time is spent hysterically warning us of what’s coming – the mailman, the squirrels, the neighbors walking down the street, a deer in the back woods, etc. 🙂

  9. Sharon says:

    The shawl looks right at home in its new home!

  10. Just Julie says:

    🙂 tyly

  11. Ganeida says:

    lol The dog is a born again charismatic with a prophetic gift! The prayer shawl is lovely. [Now trying to figure out where I can get one of those ?]. And I am so pleased to meet another animal owner with Christian animals. My cats join me for prayer & some days, when I seem to be in the zone more, they get hugely excited & have a furry party over the top of me ~ which is very distracting but I think they can sense Jesus’ presence only they can only get to Him through me & go quite nutty.

  12. Just Julie says:

    Finally someone who understands, Ganeida! Christian dogs and cats – absolutely. We have long said that our dogs were Hallelujah Hounds, but no one seems to think we know what we’re talking about. Love the vision of your cats while you pray…. 🙂

  13. Ganeida says:

    Oh I love the idea of Hallelujah hounds! Lovely vision! 😀

  14. Just Julie says:

    I’m glad you think so Ganeida! 🙂

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