Making Choices

There are so many needs in our world today, we have to make choices don't we?  We always hope we are making the right choices, but we never know and then again when making choices we always hope the recipient pays our favor forward.

When it comes to quilting we have to choose don't we?

First we must choose the pattern, then we must choose the size and fabric choices, then comes the thread choices, do I match, do I blend, do I accent?

Then comes the recipient. Or do you choose them first?

Sometimes when I am making a quilt or planning on it, I know exactly who it is for such as my hubby and grandson's quilts this year.

Sometimes I know I am making something to sell in my Zibbet or Etsy shop to help pay for all the postage I spend during the year, not to mention fabric, thread, batting, purple pens, cards, address labels, etc.

Sometimes I make a quilt simply because the pattern beckoned me to try my hand at it and these are always special because they get put up in my closet and wait until I feel I have been led by the Lord to the person in need.

Two years ago I made quilts and kept in my car to hand out to homeless in our area. I was down to the last two but oddly enough, I couldn't find anyone on the streets to pass these onto.

Then we got the news at church one of our newest members passed on leaving her 2 small children and after church I found those children and handed them the quilts, they were so happy and I knew God intended these for them.

It is the same for who we make our quilts for isn't it?  So many wonderful causes out there:

• Project Linus
• Quilts of Valor
• Firehouse Quilts
• Victory Junction Gang Camp for Kids

These are just a few of the more well know organizations that always need quilts and that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of our own local needed quilts for:

• Homeless
• Preemie babies
• Childrens and Women's shelters
• Ronald McDonald houses
• Police and Fire Departments

We have to choose don't we?  Oh how I know many of you are so amazing you seem to knock these out in record times and do a sort of round Robin where you begin in January and every month a different charity.

Then, here, I come along asking you to add me to your list. Asking you to think of the 911 dispatcher who during a tornado is at work doing her job while not knowing where her family is or how they are doing.

The 911 dispatcher who after finally landing the job of her/his lifetime gets the devastating news they have a terminal illness or their family member does.

I recently found out that two of the Colorado dispatchers who lost their homes in flooding in 2013 had even more tragedy hit their lives over the Christmas holiday...

• One of the women lost her husband suddenly and without warning he passed on.
• The family with three sons is now facing the possible loss of their father from complications due to surgery over the Christmas holiday, he is currently in ICU.
• The dispatch center who is mourning the loss of one of their own who passed away suddenly.
• The dispatcher who took a fire call and dispatched fire to the scene and remained in her chair, did the job with calm professionalism only to let others know when the call was over, it was her home that was burning!

Sometimes it feels like our quilts won't make a difference, how can they in times like these, but let me assure you, they do make a difference to those who receive them.

You may not receive a note of thanks, then again you may receive one a year later. These heroes go through all of these and then return to their job and the phones and mics and continue on while rebuilding their homes and their lives.  I am sorry if you didn't receive a thank you note, sometimes it is all they can do to get through the day but I know they are thankful!

It is okay if you can't send a quilt, money, fabric or contribute due to your own struggles or your own giving. I get that and I know sometimes, we have to make choices.

In addition to quilts, sometimes agencies are just asking us to send cards and if you would like to do that and be part of the Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 card ministry, let me know and I will put you on a list to be notified when their is a need for cards of cheering.

Our lives are filled with choices and I want you to know how much it means to mean, to the 911 dispatchers, to the families who receive our quilts, our small care packages our cards and I want to send you all the warmest, hugest hugs for making the choice to help support this ministry last year.

It is my continued prayer and hope that in 2014, we can stock the shelves in a storage unit and keep them full so when a need arises we can walk over and pick the amount need off the shelf and send it out.

So far, I have received four quilts for that purpose and they have already found homes, so please when you are quilting, if you would think of Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 and consider making a quilt for us to put up for future needs?  Consider being put on my quilters list of contacts when a need arises?  Consider making a quilt for an unseen hero.

Who knows, the recipient of one of those quilts may be the very person who answers the phone ' 911, what are you reporting?' When you have to call!