A knitting group’s change of scenery changes lives in unexpected ways
Margaret, Rose, Jane, and Fran had a good thing going: meet every week in the 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 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 among the heathen masses. How are they supposed to knit holiness into these shawls if they’re constantly distracted by the public? But with no choice, the others embrace the challenge. They pack their knitting bags and drag Margaret—grumbling the whole way—to the mall with them. She can’t wait to prove them all wrong when it fails miserably, and show the pastor that she always knows best.
Without the familiar mold 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 sit quietly and knit are taking them a lot 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 the community--or will the tangle be too much to unravel?
Sharon J. Mondragon’s debut is warm and delightful, full of real laughter, grief, and personality. It beautifully illustrates the power of women across generations to reach people for Christ.
To read an excerpt of The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady click here.
I get really excited when I hear of a Debut Author and really want to read their first book. Sharon J. Mondragón has written her first novel, The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady and I was honored to be able to read it recently.
A ladies Knitting Group has been meeting at the local church weekly for many years. Margaret, Rose, Jane, and Fran are disheartened when the Pastor tells them they will need to find another Weekly Meeting Place. Margaret is especially upset about having to find a different place to meet. The women knit Prayer Shawls and Margaret believes knitting the Prayer shawls in the Church has significance of being knitted within the Church building. The other women finally get a reluctant Margaret agree to meet at the Local Mall. Margaret is still unsure if this would work and she is hoping to prove everyone wrong. The women quickly discover that knitting at the Mall and "people watching" while they knit, brings out a different side of the women and reveals some things about the women that they had deep inside them. They feel the need to help the community as they watch happenings at the Mall. Will the women reach out to the Community and help them with their Prayer Shawls? Will the Community realize the need for Christ through the Prayer Shawls? How will knitting at the Mall change each of the individual in the Knitting Group?
WOW, what a BEAUTIFUL story! I was reeled into the storyline from the very beginning. I really enjoyed the fact that the women had such a great friendship through the knitting group. Margaret is a very determined woman who likes to be in control. The fact that the women found things out about themselves when the group started meeting at the mall was an amazing part of the story. The Prayer Shawls not only helped those in community, but through them praying for others, they discovered things about themselve. The book has a great message of "God's Plans are Bigger then our Plans". I think that was the lesson learned for Margaret in this book, but all the women also. FANTASTIC BOOK!
Sharon J. Mondragón writes about the place where kindness and courage meet. Her debut novel, The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady (originally titled The Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry) was the 2017 winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis award in the Short Novel Category, and she has also been recognized by The Saturday Evening Post where her short story, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” was an Honorable Mention Awardee in the 2014 their Great American Fiction Contest.
Mondragón has been active in prayer shawl ministry since 2008 and currently serves as facilitator for the prayer shawl ministry at her church, St. Paul Episcopal in Waxahachie, TX. She also knits with the Circle of Healing at Red Oak United Methodist Church. She is a Level 2 Certified Knitting Instructor through the Craft Yarn Council and teaches beginning knitting at a local yarn store.
Mondragón is the mother of five grown children and has four grandchildren. After 26 years as an Army wife, she has settled in Midlothian, TX with her hero/husband, her laptop, and her yarn stash.
Visit Sharon Mondragón’s website and blog at www.sharonjmondragon.com and follow her on Facebook (Sherry Mondragón) and Twitter (@SJ_Mondragón).
a Rafflecopter giveaway
0 comments:
Post a Comment