Threading ones way to love
“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese born American Essayist, Novelist and Poet
There was once a grandmother so shy (and possibly acutely depressed) that she rarely left her home. Yet, she found serenity for herself and sent her love for children into the world from her silent rooms. She did this by using her talent for crocheting, a simple talent perhaps. However, this kind, caring woman used it to lower her stress levels and to feed the community’s poor. How did she do this?
As the new surge of interest in knitting and crocheting crosses generations, we learn that crocheting and knitting help fight depression. Their soothing rhythm raises our bodies’ levels of serotonin — the body’s natural mood control agent.
The late Mrs. Van Saders had great talent crocheting and created exquisite bedspreads, mostly of the famed Pineapple motif. She then donated them to churches to be “raffled” or auctioned off. The moneys gained were used to help the poor, mostly children and families with children.
Today, men and women throughout America are threading their needles to create warm, cheerful blankets for children, donating their finished products to groups that get them to “at risk” children. Some children are in hospitals; others are in foster care, some are homeless or going through other kinds of trauma.
On Christmas Eve in 1998, Karen Loucks read an article in Parade magazine that told of a child who had been going through chemotherapy. The little girl said her security blanket helped her through the difficult time. Mrs. Loucks decided to help provide blankets to children who needed their own “security” blankets. Since 1998, Project Linus, an all volunteer group, has spread to every state. Patterns and yarns are donated. Chapters throughout the United States collect the blankets and distribute them to infants (preemies) and children in hospitals, shelters, social service agencies or anywhere a child needs a loving one. Oprah and Rosie O’Donnell featured PL on their shows. Warm woolly gifts speak loudly of love. Can you knit? Can you crochet? Can you quilt? What little one is waiting for your warm cozy cuddly afghan or blanket? www.projectlinus.org
Meditation for the Day
“To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of its own.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author
Action for the Day
Today, I’ll consider how much love my needles and thread can bring to a child in need. Today, I’ll consider giving myself serenity while giving a child comfort, hope and the feeling that someone cares.
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