My Quilts in Ethiopia!

Last September a group from Quilts Beyond Borders went to Ethiopia to distribute 270 quilts to infants and kids in orphanages. I think they may not be strictly orphanages in the sense we usually understand that term, because some of the moms are there as well. The moms very much enjoyed learning how to sew. The QBB team felt blessed to be there, hand out quilts, teach some sewing skills, and make new friends. Recently they shared a bunch of pictures from their trip.

I feel blessed to see some of my quilts in the pictures they shared! Here they are:

I made this blue quilt. Someone else quilted it. The woman on the left is wrapped in it for the photo, but the quilt will go to her child who was in school at the time the photo was taken.

Here you see the orange top I made. It also was quilted by someone else. In the first picture it is spread across the laps of these people... and the person peeking out shyly is wrapped in a green quilt that I made! Then the orange one is seen wrapping up the woman on the right.. maybe a family member of the group in the first photo (I'm guessing).

In this last photo, I am not positive I made this pink quilt, but it looks familiar. It is made of "Tahoe Blocks" that we made as a group through Sunshine Guild. I either put this one together, or one similar to it. Either way, it is fun to see quilts made by me and by Sunshine being given away and used. It is a rare treat to see them in pictures.

Life: Aging and Death

I know my post title is very somber today. Well, sometimes life is difficult and one must sit back and ponder. Last week my mom went back into the hospital. She was in awful shape. She has congestive heart failure and was experiencing a bad bout - lots of fluid build-up and extreme weakness/fatigue along with shortness of breath. In the hospital they were able to help her get back to pretty good condition. She was pink-cheeked and spunky again by the time she was released. Now her challenge is to maintain this level of health so that she doesn't have another scary time like that one.

This little scare reminded me that she is mortal. Sounds crazy, but it was a jolt to be reminded that she won't be with us forever. At one point I looked at her in her hospital bed, and she looked so vulnerable. My mom is tough and strong. I have never thought of her as vulnerable. That was a bit of a shock.

The hospital and my sister were going to communicate with Mom's assisted living facility and ask for a few more services, to help keep my mom on a more even keel. We have our fingers crossed.

My mom is 93. Love!

Oh.. amidst the scariness, I was in town just in time to attend a concert. The town has an annual music festival which brings in professional musicians from various symphonies and orchestras around the country and world. Fabulous concert... and there was a lovely, cool evening with a pretty sunset.

In more bad news, last week there was a horrible event in my town. A police officer was shot to death during a routine traffic stop. He didn't even get as far as up to the car to chat with the driver. The driver just pulled out a gun and shot him in the head. The officer was 47 years old and leaves behind a wife and two teen-age kids. Our town is heart-broken. It's a small, quiet suburb with a small police force. The town has shown wonderful support to the family. Today was the funeral. The procession from the church to the cemetery went right through my neighborhood, so I joined the vigil. It was very emotional. Police from everywhere came to join the procession. I saw cars from all over Minnesota, of course, and from North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and even Canada. Very moving. The hearse went by, followed by the family. The two teenagers were waving out the window, signing "I love you" which I signed back.

My childhood friend was with me during the procession. Her father died when she was 12. She felt a kinship with these teens who are now without a father. May his children heal and grow with love despite their trauma and loss.

Before the event started, some on-duty police handed out stickers to kids in our group:

quiet. respectful. emotional.

Peace and Love to all.

We Belong to Each Other

Can you help some great causes?

First is at String Thing Along blog. She is suggesting that we make half-log-cabin-string blocks. Instructions are at her blog, along with a picture. Super easy. What she needs is a volunteer to collect the blocks and make them into a donation quilt. Please follow the blog link to read the details.

Second is an on-going movement called Love Flash Mob. I just found out about this and am enthralled. The blog author (Glennon) posts a story that needs our attention: a homeless pregnant teen who needs housing, a woman who needs medical help so that she in turn can help her children, etc etc. The idea is a Flash Mob of love -- we each make a donation, but maximum you can donate is $25. It's supposed to be a lot of small actions adding up to a huge flash mob of love. It works, and it's so exciting!

Third, a little less on the serious side, is a quaint and beautiful post office in Vermont that is scheduled to close. A woman who is an artist is asking for postcards, to crank up the flow of mail through that post office in hopes of keeping it open. People are sending beautiful art-cards, and she scans them and posts them online. Here's a link: http://janedaviesstudios.com/galleries/postcard-gallery

And here is a picture of the postcard I sent. It says "My favorite things: books, quilts, lakes, letters/postcards/post offices, libraries, photographs, friends/family & cookies!"



I love finding ways to participate in people helping people. As Glennon at Momastery blog says, "we belong to each other."

I Love People

photo from photoblog.twincityphotos.com

1. If you want a wonderful career, consider working in Special Ed. I did some more subbing today, and got more little tugs on my heart strings. I love Special Ed kids! They are full of quirks and challenges and can even be annoying, but when you see past that and learn a little about their background, you can't help but love them. Even though I'm retired, I still feel lucky and blessed to get this little touch of love when I do my occasional jobs.

2. J. helped me see how comforting this subbing is for me, after a couple of tough years in the end of my career... this is just what I needed. Thanks for helping me see that today, J.

3. I love people who quietly go about helping others. No fan-fare, no trumpets sounding, just big hearts helping someone in need.

4. I love happy-ending stories that are answers to prayer. Gives a person goose-bumps. God loves us!