CREATING A PRAYER WITH YARN

A Volunteer with Life Choice Hospice Finds Her Own Unique Way to Give Back

Philadelphia, Pa (November 2, 2007) –When Connie Henry-Reid, a South Philadelphia resident, learned that her son’s father, her ex-husband, was terminally ill and would be put under hospice care, she shuddered at the thought. She remembered the pain and suffering her mother went through before she died just a few months prior. But Henry-Reid would soon learn the true meaning of hospice and end of life care when her ex husband was put under the care of Life Choice Hospice, “Everything was so different,” she said. “His death was very peaceful and serene, the way it should have been.” After he died, Henry-Reid wanted to find a way to give back to Life Choice. Seeking a way to reach terminally ill patients through art, she decided to crochet.

Since this past May, Henry-Reid has crocheted 12 uniquely designed prayer shawls and lap blankets for Life Choice patients. It takes about two weeks to make one shawl – or a lap blanket if the patient is a man—and during this time she prays over her work, thinking positive thoughts that she hopes will transfer over to the recipient. “It’s like making some one a big warm hug,” she said, “It’s as if I’m painting with yarn.”

Before her ex-husband died, Henry-Reid lost her fiancé and then her mother within a few years of each other. After experiencing these three deaths in such a short amount of time, she felt she had hit rock bottom. “I missed them all so very much and there was nothing there to fill the space,” she explained. It was at that time that a good friend gave her an article from a spiritual magazine. The article, called “Knit Together with Prayer,” was about a group of women who gathered at their church to knit and pray. The women described the sound of their knitting needles as a “mantra of peace.” They distributed their hand-knit items to members of their church facing difficult circumstances.

As soon as she read this article, Henry-Reid ran to the nearest craft store and bought as much yarn as she could. Her grandmother taught her to crochet when she was very young and gradually she found her way again, remembering all of the steps and stitches. Now, after completing 12 pieces, Henry-Reid has become a crochet fanatic, taking her work with her wherever she goes. “This summer I made one while sitting on the beach,” she explains. “I sat there, listening to the sounds of the ocean and thought that maybe this peaceful memory would come through to the person receiving the shawl.”

After a shawl or lap blanket is finished, Henry-Reid hands them over to Marytheresa Vogler, Director of Volunteer Services at Life Choice. Vogler and a member of the Life Choice Interfaith Chaplaincy team then present the shawl to the patient and family. A special prayer is said by the chaplain. “Connie is creating such an amazing gift for our patients,” said Vogler. “It’s something that not only comforts the patient, but the family can keep it as a memory of their loved one once they are gone.” Henry-Reid donates all of the materials herself, but to her there is nothing more satisfying. “My love is inside that yarn,” she said. “It’s like a textured prayer.”

There are many volunteer opportunities available with Life Choice Hospice. For more information about volunteering, contact Marytheresa Vogler at 800-557-7570, ext. 116 or e-mail mvogler@lifechoicehospice.com. With an emphasis on living, Life Choice Hospice supports and assists terminally ill individuals and helps their loved ones cope with the challenges of life’s ending.

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