#Giveaway & Review: Olive Wood Comfort Cross

I’m not what I would consider a super religious person. My family went to church every week when I was younger, but that fell by the wayside when my parents got divorced. I think we all became a little disenchanted and this transitioned right into my questioning teenage years, where I considered myself agnostic.

As fate would have it, I fell in love with and married someone from a strong Catholic family. I started going to mass with him occasionally and still do, although since I’m required to work weekends it’s not very often. I found what really drew me back into having faith, though, was working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after graduation from nursing school.

As a new nurse struggling to deal with major ethical quandaries, seeing little ones taken away too soon or whose parents never bonded and stopped visiting, and feeling burdened with the responsibility of caring for for such fragile lives, I found myself having little chats with God on my way to work. I just needed a pep talk, a feeling that some higher power had my back. I recognized that with as much education and technical expertise that I have, I am only human and can’t do it all.

I was recently sent a Comfort Cross, a small cross individually carved from olive wood near Bethlehem. It arrived in a velvet bag with a little informational card explaining its background:

Christians have been carving crosses like this for hundreds of years, originally for pilgrims and more recently tourists visiting the Holy Land. Each craftsman receives a fair price to support their family and Christiancommunity. The Comfort Cross is designed to fit comfortably into the palm of your hand as an aid to prayer or meditation. Ideal as your spiritual companion for easing children’s fears, comforting worries and stresses of adults andfocusing the prayer of the sick and elderly.

I found the Comfort Cross to be both lightweight and easy to hold in the palm of your hand, yet also very sturdy.  When you are frazzled or anxious, it lives up to its name by providing calming comfort as you reflect on the beauty and smoothness of the wood.

As someone who works in a hospital, I think this is a nice gift for someone who is stuck in a hospital bed. Even though it is a small token, it can bring focus to their prayers or just provide comfort. The size and shape make it convenient as a prayer aid, or some may enjoy just having it nearby.  I could see them carrying something like this in the hospital gift shop. It also makes a great church fundraiser for youth groups to sell, and each sale helps a Christian in the holy land receive a fair wage for his craft.

Buy It: Available at mycomfortcross.com. One cross is $8 including S&H. Sale price for readers: Buy here to receive 2 crosses, bags, cards, and shipping for $10. Bulk prices for mission trips and fundraising also available.

Win It: Two lucky winners will each receive a comfort cross - no purchase required! Open to US.

How to enter: All entries must be submitted using the Rafflecopter form below. The mandatory entry is listed at the top and must be done first. Hit “click for instructions” under each entry, and the necessary links or info will appear. Then click the green “I did this” button, and it will prompt for your email address and any information needed to verify the entry, such as your twitter username. To increase your chances of winning, you can complete any of the extra optional entries.

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Tagged as: church, religion