endings

Tuesday one of my very favorite customers came to the store with some terrible news. She’s been fighting a battle with cancer for a long, long time and it seems the cancer has won. With very limited time she is preparing for the end of her life.

“God, I just want to knit.” She told me. “I mean God I just want to knit.” And then she said something to me that I will remember for the rest of my life. “You have been such an unexpected blessing to me. I don’t even have words to describe, but you’ve been such an unexpected blessing.”

I can’t even begin to grasp the loss that so many of us will be experiencing, but until then, I have one recurring thought:

Can the simple act of knitting be a gift from God? I think maybe so.

Category: ouch 8 comments »

8 Responses to “endings”

  1. Amy

    Wow, that is so touching. It’s amazing to be a blessing in someone elses life, and I have many times felt that knitting is a gift from God. It has gotten me thorugh sad times and deaths, and pulled me thorough. I have knitted for others in their sad times. Currently I am kniting a pair of socks for my grandmother who just lost our grandfather to cancer in september. Its one way I can help her to deal with the pain. With love in every stitch.

  2. Allisone

    Knitting is most certianly a gift from God. So are sunshine, snow, and cranky children that stop midway through a sob to giggle.

    And cold medicince – did I mention the cold medicine?

  3. sarahgrace

    Yes…knitting is a gift from God, as are friends. I’m heartbroken for you and your friend.

  4. Elaine

    That is just so hear breaking.

  5. Jill

    Allie, you’re are the gift, not the knitting. And I’m not saying that because I’m an anti-knitight it’s because you truly are… in more ways than one.

  6. breni

    oh wow. tears are rolling down my cheeks. i want everyone i care about to know about what i just read. my father died of cancer one year ago on monday. that day was so hard to get through because he loved life and he loved the holidays. i wished i had seen this then, but it is not to late, because i will send them to your site to see this. thank you so much. your words were so comforting. you just don’t know how much.

  7. LBM

    What an amazing thing to say and have said to you. So many people feel things like this, but are never able to voice it, for whatever reason.

    I haven’t been able to keep up with my blog reading lately, but I surely hope this comment gives you a little bit of something to hang onto during the crazy things that seem to be happening…

  8. Jane

    Wow.
    Knitting is a gift from God.
    It really is.

Back to top