In 2005
when I began this journey of sharing quilts with our 'unseen heroes,' of
New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina I didn't reach out to get a pat on
the back or a thank you and yet, I received a few thanks that warmed my
heart.
One was of
a momma and her baby girl with their quilts. I had made 2 different
quilt patterns but used the same fabrics since mom and baby were
separated while mom lived aboard a FEMA ship so she could work and baby
lived in Texas with grandma.
Then, the
second one came of an amazing lady named Gloria who had lost everything
while she remained at work helping others and I mean literally, her
house moved away from where it was sitting.
Gloria's picture showed her in bed with the quilt I had made her and it just warmed my heart.
Here were
two people in the most devastating of times and they took time out of
their chaotic and turned upside down lives to say, 'thank you, you made a
difference.'
Sometimes I
get a note saying thank you right away, sometimes I get a thank you in
the mail months and even a year or more later and when you lose
everything you ever owned in the blink of an eye, it is shocking to me I
receive anything at all.
So when I
received a letter in the mail yesterday, I cried and I smiled and I felt
my heart just filled with warmth as this is the very first time I have
ever received a letter from an obviously very young child whose dad is a
policeman.
The letter
thanked me for the quilt, told me it is being used everyday and that
their father is a policeman. I wrote them back letting them know how
special that letter is to me and telling them when the time comes that I
get my studio built, this letter will hold a special place framed and
on the wall.
I always
say that we don't expect payment from those that receive our quilts, but
I would say this child repaid the kindness in a way that will forever
touch my soul and simply put once again...
These
children, families and individuals are the reason why I do what I do and
why at times I beg for you to help with quilts, with funding, fabric,
thread, etc..
Hopefully this coming spring/summer I can meet these two little ones face to face and give them a huge hug!
2 comments:
That's why we make quilts...to make a difference in someone's life and give them a quilty hug! Beautiful!!!
That's why we make quilts...to make a difference in someone's life and give them a quilty hug! Beautiful!!!
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