A humorous, heartwarming tale of love, loss, and the power of community
Fair Meadows Retirement Community might as well be a country club for most of the retirees enjoying the
pool, golf course, and book clubs. But for the caregivers whose family members reside upstairs in the special
Memory Care Unit, vacation is over.
Comforting these caregivers is exactly why the Woolgatherers group has formed. They make prayer shawls to
support those affected by the heartbreaking reality of not being recognized by a loved one-people like Sam
Talbot, who has been barely existing since his wife moved into Memory Care. He finds that his life has lost all
color and meaning without her.
That's something the Woolgatherers can't bear to see. Flirtatious Jenny Alderman, cranky crocheter Edna
O'Brian, kind Rose Harker, and the rest of the prayer shawl group weave him into the circle. Sam has no idea
how he got tangled up with them, and he's no good at knitting. But when one member talks him into taking
up his wife's old crochet hooks, he discovers that this one small gesture might just have the power to heal his
life--or even save it.
Full of Sharon Mondragon's characteristic humor and heart, this book wrestles with the loneliness of being the
forgotten spouse of a dementia patient, moving past the fear that the spouses often face into the love and
compassion that can make all the difference.
Margaret, Rose, Jane, and Fran had a good thing going: meet every week in the dusty quiet of their peaceful chapel and knit prayer shawls. No muss, just ministry. That is, until their pastor boots them out of the church in his last-ditch effort to revive the dwindling congregation. Uptight Margaret isn't having it. Knitting prayer shawls at the mall where people can watch is the most ridiculous idea she's ever heard of, and she's heard plenty. Prayer belongs in the church, not out in the public eye. How are they supposed to knit holiness into these shawls if they're constantly distracted by people? But given no choice, the other ladies embrace the challenge. They pack their knitting bags and drag along Margaret, grumbling the whole way. She can't wait to prove them all wrong when this crazy plan fails miserably, and show the pastor that she knows best. Without the familiar pattern the group has been stuck in, their own losses, pain, and struggles rise to the surface. And the people and situations they encounter every time they try to simply sit and knit take them further out of their comfort zone than they ever imagined. Can they find the courage to tackle the increasing number of knotty issues they learn about in their community-or will the tangle be too much?
