This is my wish for all of you (received in an email from a cousin – not my own words, but heartfelt and agreed!) It’s a bit long, but I think there is so much good in it, I’m not sure what I would cut. By the way – if you know the author’s name, please email me or post it in a comment below so I can attribute it properly. Thanks!
This is for the mothers who have sat up
all night with sick toddlers in their arms,
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. . . of you, my friends – calling all of you.
You can help me fulfill a dream. Shelly’s dream.
Several months ago I heard about this woman in Denton, TX who had a dream to gift EVERY (140!) child who would attend Camp Sanguinity this summer with a granny square afghan. Each afghan would require 48 squares 6 inches in size. Each square would then be edged with black and sewn into an afghan which would then be edged in black.
Share a Square was born!
Shelly gave over (at least) one room in her home to house the resultant afghans until this summer.
Shelly’s dream was fulfilled by people like each of you who stop by to read this blog. THANK YOU! She has received (more than) enough squares to make the 140 afghans and, I believe all are now in the hands of a willing volunteer who is putting them together. She is posting pictures of the finished (and returned) afghans on her blog.
Shelly’s dream grew and took a turn . . . and the Bag Project was born. Texas Rose and I would each try to raise 70 bags to go along with the afghans to hold the tags after the children took them off.
This is a quick update on that project. Thanks to Miyo in Tokyo and Kat in Los Angeles, I now have 9 finished bags.
In addition, Shelly sent me some bags that were donated and I hope to get them decorated up this weekend. I bought some really colorful beads – now I just have to get busy and get them attached.
But, I am a long way from 70 bags, my friends. So I am calling on all of you to help.
If, however, you are not able to help with bags – and you missed the opportunity to make 6 inch squares – there is ONE LAST DREAM of Shelly’s that you could help fulfill:
Her dream: to pay the way for ALL 140 kids to attend Camp Sanguinity for FREE! It will cost $150 per child to go to camp. Your $5 or $10 would go a long way to seeing that dream come true. Please! and, Thank you!
This was originally posted January 31st. It has been seeing some new comments have been coming in, so I am moving it up to share once again.
Thanks to those who have either sent an email saying they wanted to help – or who have sent some bags. You are all AWESOME!!
(Shelly likes to dream big – be sure to check out her latest dream for the kids of Camp Sanguinity!)
Share a Square – update:
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So – I went to work today – first time since the 19th. Felt a bit like a slacker when I left after four hours, but know that it is better for me to take it easy this week. Certainly do NOT want a relapse, after all.
I had only told a few about the heart attack – it was a need to know sort of thing. Those who needed to know in order to make decisions and make sure the agency stayed on keel – those were the ones I told.
So – why the reticence about telling everyone? And, why is it okay now?
Big questions those! And, I am having a bit of an awakening in doing the sorting out of the answers.
I think that is where the “shame factor” comes in. My inner moosie tells me that people might be thinking to themselves “well, of COURSE she had a heart attack – lookit the SIZE of her.”
No, YOU wouldn’t say that – you’re my fans and all that.
But, having always had a bit of a self-esteem problem (due to a LOT of things – I am, after all, as normal in that respect as anyone) most of my life, I tend to think that people WOULD think that sort of thing – ya know?
So – it was with a bit of AHA! and pride that I heard the news from the docs that my heart is in such good shape – NO placque – NO blockages – nice big, clean arteries – the blood flow is good – the valves look good – the chest ct came back clean . . . AHA! I say!
😉
I left the docs all scratching their heads over the enigma that is me. We all know that I had a heart attack, but none of us knows why. The docs like black and white, yin and yang, they like to FIX things and hate it when they can’t or don’t know why they can’t. Heh.
My friend from church? She says God healed me during our drive to Anchorage. You know what? He has the power to do that – so maybe so, maybe so.
All I know is that I can hold my head up high, raise my hands to the sky and praise Him for yet another day on this earth.
Hope you all do the same.
So, awhile back I mentioned being tired . . . and then the Ladybug challenged me to tell you why in her comment.
Now that I am recovering, that is, not quite as tired, I thought I would let you know what I’ve been up to – in addition to working a 40 hour schedule.
Each weekday morning I get up at 5 am, check email, and then drive over to the Kenai High School pool to meet ms. Ladybug. From 6:30 to 7:45 or so she swims laps while I walk half laps in the water. I can only do half laps because I’m just 5’4″ after all. 😉
My ankles and knees won’t allow me to walk on dry land – at least not fitness walking. Walking in water is GREAT exercise. You get the benefits of walking, PLUS you get a harder workout because you are pushing against all that water volume.
It’s been two weeks now and I can tell the difference in how I feel now when I get out of the pool compared to then when I got out of the pool. For one thing, it’s not nearly as hard to PULL myself up the steps and out of the pool now as it was then. (gravity works, by the way!) So that is a good thing. Also, I’m not nearly as sore now as I was that first week. Although . . . my left hip has been bothering me. It feels better when I get up and move around, so I’m trying hard not to just sit and get stiff.
Also making sure I get all the water I should be drinking.
So, thanks, Ladybug! And, yes, you are right. I should have joined you a long time ago. But, that’s in the past. We’ll just keep working on the future. 😉
