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Angels Among Us
I believe in angels…
The kind that heaven sends.
I am surrounded by angels, but I call them friends.
How many times have we heard this here at Haywood Street? It might be sitting at the table in the dining room, waiting for a haircut in the hospitality room, or gathering for morning devotion upstairs in Respite. If you listen, you will hear talk about angels.
For me, it one winter evening last December in the Sanctuary. An elderly lady lingered after the service, looking wistfully at the decorated Christmas tree. As I stopped to say hello, she pointed to a paper doily angel ornament on a nearby branch, remarking how angels were all around Haywood Street Congregation, helping her through some tough times. She was so grateful for every act of kindness, especially when people would take the time to sit and talk. It made her feel part of a community – something she had lost when her husband died and she had to move away from their home of 54 years.
We visited awhile, and then I asked her if she would like the angel. Her eyes glistened as she held it gently in her hands, thanking me repeatedly for such a beautiful Christmas gift. She promised to keep it close, a reminder that she wasn’t alone. As we hugged and said good-bye, I watched her tuck the angel in her tattered scarf to protect it from the falling snow.
As she walked out into the night, I said to myself, “We need more angels!” An idea soon began percolating in my brain – to create a special Christmas tree filled with homemade angels and doves – a sign of comfort and peace.
That’s what we’re doing this holiday season – making ornaments for an angel tree for the front lobby where people come to gather and come in from the cold. We’ll also have a basket filled with more ornaments that friends can select and take with them – their own guardian angel. Hopefully, the lovely lady from last year will return for more conversation and a new angel.
We will be gathering in the dining room on Saturdays in November….the 3rd, 10th and 24th from noon to 4 pm to create all sorts of homemade angel ornaments. We’ll also be working on ornaments Wednesday afternoons at Respite – part of our regular weekly arts and crafts get-togethers (3pm to 5pm). We’re scouring our sewing baskets and craft shelves for items to use: lace, fabric, buttons, tulle, feathers, ribbons, beads, pipe cleaners, old costume jewelry and more. We’re also poking about thrift shops for angel and dove ornaments.
If you would join us or work on some ornaments at home, please contact me for more information. Drop in or stay as long as you can. Please bring a pair of scissors and your imagination. If you have a glue gun – great!
Thanks for being an angel!!!
Cappy Tosetti – 828-707-7203 cappyt@att.net |
