A Fictional Story

Another Blanket

Catherine’s gnarled fingers reached for the skein of pale green yarn as she settled in to crochet another blanket. Only this time, the arthritis was unbearable. As her fingers ached and refused to cooperate, her heart broke.

She rested her hands on the soft yarn in her lap and bowed her head. “Lord, I know you’ve called me to serve and help others. I know you’re well aware of my age and the state of my body. Making blankets for those in need has been my own little ministry for so many years. If I don’t have this, what do I have to offer, Lord? I feel it’s all I have left.”

The voices in the hallway of the assisted living facility seemed far off as she felt God drawing her closer. She loved His presence and how He responded to her prayers. Catherine sensed He was near, but there was only silence. She knew what that meant—wait.

She brushed a stray tear from her weathered cheek with her hand. “Yes, Lord. I know you have a purpose, even if I don’t understand.” She left the yarn resting in her lap, leaned back in the recliner, and stared at the clock on the wall, waiting for her granddaughter to stop by.

“Knock, knock,” a familiar voice called.

Catherine blinked a few times before spotting her granddaughter’s fiery red curls. “Oh, Kaity. I must have dozed off. Come in.”

“Sorry I woke you, Grandma,” she said, lowering herself to a chair.

“Nonsense. I can sleep anytime. You’re the one with a busy schedule. So, tell me, how is my great-grandbaby?”

“Lizzy is fine, but I think I’m losing my mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, Grandma. I can’t sleep. All I do is listen to make sure she’s still breathing. And when Trevor starts sawing logs beside me, I get up to check on her because I can’t hear anything but my husband snoring! How will I ever handle it if we have another baby?”

Catherine chuckled. “I remember watching your mother sleep throughout the night.”

Kaity sighed. “You did it too? So, I’m not crazy?”

The older woman shook her head.

“What do I do? I mean, If I don’t get some sleep soon…”

“You surrender that beautiful child of yours to God.”

“Surrender, like how?”

“As I remember, I surrendered your mother to Him because I was petrified. I had no experience with children and didn’t know what I was doing.” She chuckled. “So, one night after watching her sleep in the crib beside our bed, feeling in front of her mouth a dozen times to make sure she was still breathing, I prayed, ‘Lord, I know you gave me this precious child, and you know I can’t stare at her all night, or I won’t be any good for her in the morning. Please watch over her and teach me how to be a good mother. I surrender her to you and into your care. In Jesus’ name.’”

“So, what happened?” Kaity asked.

“I slept like a rock!” Catherine laughed. “And I never forgot that night. It’s important to surrender who we love and what we love to God. It stops us from putting anyone or anything above Him and teaches us to trust Him with everything.” She paused. “It’s a gift to surrender, placing what we love in His hands. Then we have peace.”

Kaity’s cell rang from her purse. “Oh, sorry. I’ve got to take this call. Hello?”

Catherine thought of her own words as her hands rested on the soft yarn. While Kaity spoke to someone about a shift change at work, the older woman closed her eyes and whispered, “Lord, I surrender my crocheting to you. I give you everything I have. All of me. Use me as you see fit.”

Kaity tucked her phone away and stood. “Sorry about that, Grandma. I have to go. The schedule at work is all messed up, and they need me to come in right now.”

“You go, dear. Just be safe.”

“I will. Thank you. You always teach me something about God, and I’m going to do what you said and surrender Lizzy to Him. I already feel better just thinking about it.”

“I’m so glad, dear.”

Kaity kissed her cheek and whispered, “Enjoy your nap, Grandma.” Quickly, she left, closing the door behind her.

Catherine sighed. “Thank you, Lord. I guess there’s still a little something good in me I can offer, even if it’s not what I expected.”

But when she picked up the yarn from her lap to return the skein to the table at her side, she realized God still had plans for her crocheting. Not only did her fingers not hurt, but they no longer appeared as gnarled tree roots. They were straighter than they’d been in years.

Catherine gasped as she remembered all the years she’d asked God to bless her blanket ministry and to heal her hands. She wondered if she’d ever truly surrendered either to Him. The pale green yarn in her lap began to blur as she considered how long He’d waited for her to yield.

She closed her eyes and imagined herself as a small child taking a lovely skein of yarn from her Heavenly Father and using it to make hundreds of blankets over the years. But when she stopped asking Him what pattern to use and even stopped praying over the blankets, the soft threads became tangled knots in her hands as she tried to control everything. Only when she surrendered the skein to Him just now had He taken and untangled the threads for her, lovingly returning the beautiful skein into her hands—the hands He’d miraculously touched so she could continue.

“Surrender all things,” she told herself as she opened her eyes, knowing she’d share this lesson with Kaity next week.

Deeply grateful, Catherine reached for her crochet hook resting on the table, and after taking a moment to ask God what she should make, her heart soared for her granddaughter when she sensed His answer: another baby blanket.

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