Quilts as Miracles

I've been trying to be more receptive to peoples' needs. I went through some really tough times a few years ago, and a friend I thought I could really count on just wasn't there for me. No one was, really. It was a dark time, and I kept waiting for someone to reach out, for someone to notice the pain I was in and extend a kind word. A bar of chocolate wouldn't have hurt, either! ;-) As I was coming out of it, a different friend I didn't know as well dropped off a small bag of chocolate covered almonds and I was so touched. It was heart-warming. And I resolved that I wanted to be the kind of person that did heart-warming things. Not to pay it forward, although that's not a bad a thing, but to be an angel that someone needed. If you haven't noticed my button in my sidebar, I'm a Mormon. I believe in Christ and I believe in following His example to love others. When we are baptized in our church, we covenant with God to bear others' burdens, to comfort those that stand in need of comfort. In short, to be His angels. I believe that miracles do happen. I was the beneficiary of a medical miracle a couple of years ago. But, short of those extreme miracles, I believe miracles happen every day and that God often uses us to be those miracles. So, I have been trying to take my baptismal covenant more seriously, and be the miracle. I try to listen for promptings that might indicate how He needs me to help others. When I think of someone out of the blue, I often wonder if it's because that person needs a miracle. And I often set about trying to be that miracle. Sometimes, all it is is delivering a small bag of treats. Mostly, that's what it is.

Last summer, we had a family reunion with my husband's family. His sister was pregnant (though hadn't announced it yet...I think everyone was pretending to not know) and just seemed...sad. Or worn out. Maybe both. I didn't pry, and we are honestly not that close, so there really wouldn't have been a point: it's not like she would have shared her struggles with me. But for a couple of weeks, it nagged me that she was potentially struggling. And I decided the only thing to do was to make her a quilt.

(These are all iPhone pictures; please excuse the quality!)

Because I had this nagging feeling, I decided I better get to it and make one that was quick. So I picked a quilt from Amy Smart's Fabulously Fast Quilts. And I made it, had it quilted, and sent it off.

She got it just a couple of days later, and loved it. I have no idea if she really was struggling, and it really doesn't matter. Because getting a quilt in the mail would make anyone's day, right?

Quite frankly, I still have a really long way to go. Don't misinterpret this post: I am no saint. I'm just a work in progress, like everyone else. :-)

Janet's quilt
Completion date: September 2014