A lovely friend is due to have a baby soon. Â I was meant to attend her blessingway this weekend past, but had over committed myself and couldn’t get there. Â It was the same day as Tenneille’s birthday and being the ‘I can do it all mama’ thought I could pull off doing something else on the same day, um, no!
The knitted square, pictured below, is to be part of a knitted blanket, which we all contributed a knitted square to for our friend’s baby. Â It is such a wonderful keepsake for a child and mother. Â I can’t wait to see the end result and hopefully if I can, I will post a picture here of the finished baby blanket.
Now some of you might be wondering what a blessingway (or mother blessing) is. Â A blessingway is a ceremony which honours the mother-to-be, surrounded by special people in her life. Â It’s about encouraging and empowering a woman not so much through gifts, but by offering support, wisdom, and understanding leading up to the birth of their baby, however that ends up.
Every blessingway is different, but the essence remains the same. Â I had one before I had Jairah and it was a beautiful day spent with wonderful women. Â Unfortunately my camera battery died, so I never took any photos, but I won’t forget the sentiment behind it. Â I was also given meals to sustain us in the early days after Jairah was born. Â The same will be done for our friend. Â I think it was the best gift I could ever have received, Â not having to cook for two weeks after giving birth. Â I am lucky to live in a community of thoughtful and generous people and it is always nice to return the favour.
