Counting blessings,
and saying prayers for the New Year.
It has been wet and cold in Nashville over the holidays. This weather magnifies for every person the gratitude we all feel for warm, safe beds and cozy hearths. Magdalene offers residential sanctuary for 28 women who speak eloquently about what it means to have a place to call home after surviving the underside of bridges, the backside of abandoned houses, and the inside of prison. It's always sobering to remember that on the eve of 2012, there are over a hundred more women wanting to come live in this community.
On the final day of Thistle Farms before the holidays, employees offered up the following prayers:
- For those still on the streets who don’t get to appreciate the beauty of this time of year
- For the women sleeping behind a brick wall this Christmas
- For those that don’t know the hope in this place and the love in this circle
- For those walking the streets that can’t find their way
- For the family I haven’t seen in three years
- For my sister I haven’t seen in a year and gratitude that we get to spend Christmas together
- Thank you for giving Becca this vision
- Thank you for loving me regardless of my past, and for teaching me to love myself
Thank you for being a part of this work.
Because Magdalene and Thistle Farms do not take any government funding, your gifts keep our doors open (and the heat on), year after year. We are thankful for all the ways the work is supported by buying candles and body balms, by telling a friend about the mission of Magdalene, by hosting a home party, by inviting Thistle Farms to speak at a church, by collecting thistles, and by make financial gifts. Thank you for all the ways you give.
With much love and gratitude from all the women
of Magdalene and Thistle Farms.
Happy New Year!
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