Rainbows Blessings

Three friends from seminary were ordained on Saturday at the Cal-Pac Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, including my dear Lara. I organized some of her friends from all over the country - actually, the world - to participate in giving her a beautiful handmade rainbow stole I found on Etsy. Facebook makes suprising people surprisingly easy - her Facebook friends list gave me all the contact info I needed. Very cool. I hereby encourage y'all to check out Gloria Vestments next time you're on the market for a new stole. Actually, nothing will put you on the market for a new stole faster than checking out Gloria Vestments. Anna's handiwork is exquisite, and she went above and beyond to get it here on time for the ordination.

Behold:

You can't see the reverse side well enough in my photo, so here's the photo from the Gloria Vestments site. It's reversible, and the white side is quilted with rainbow thread. So lovely.

I totally wish I could make stoles. Indeed, I am bound and determined to learn to sew well enough to make stoles.

I also finally finished the prayer shawl that was supposed to be Lara's birthday present in March of 2005. It was also pretty beautiful, if I do say so myself.
On a related note, Lara did the blessing for Juliette's dedication service a year ago. This is part of what she said:

Juliette, on the day you were born, a rainbow filled the sky and that raindbow is a sign of God's promise and love for God's people. Today we celebrate the love that surrounds you and the promises made to nurture you in the life of faith. So Juliette, receive this blessing of love as a beloved child of God. May you grow to always know Jesus as your friend and companion. May you see with eyes of faith, and be guided by the light of God. May songs of peace fill your days and thoughts of mercy fill your mind. Let your words be gentle and your touch be kind. When you take steps of compassion also take strides for justice. As you are held and embraced this day, may you also embrace the life and gifts given to you with thanksgiving, find joy in God's abundant creation, and always look to the colors of the rainbow to make your heart smile. God's grace be before you, Christ's love be in you, and the Holy Spirit be always at your side.

Amen.