01/26/2025
A friend sent this to me. It was her friend’s post on Facebook. It’s a really touching story about a man who received a donated quilt while in a burn unit…I’ll let you read the rest.
Today, I accomplished half of a nine-year goal. When I was in the Burn Unit, I vividly remember that during my second week there, one of the nurses brought a quilt to my room and said, “This is for you.” I looked at her in confusion and replied, “What?” She explained, “Someone sewed this quilt for you before you came to the hospital.”
I was taken aback and answered, still not understanding, “Someone sewed me a quilt—for me—before I came to the hospital?” She reassured me, “Yes, someone made this for you. They didn’t know it would be you, but there are groups of people who sew quilts and donate them to the hospital. Nurses give them to patients like you who have an extended stay.”
At that moment, I broke down in tears. Who are these selfless people in the world? It still amazes me to think about it—someone decided to dedicate an entire day (or even several days) to cutting and sewing fabric together to anonymously give it away to someone in need, bringing a little grace into their life during a very dark and life-changing ordeal.
That quilt carried me through two skin grafts during my three weeks in a trauma unit and three months of healing at home. I still look at it every day. On one level, it feels like a trophy; on another, it reminds me of everything I endured and survived. For the past nine years, I have felt the burden of needing to reciprocate—to answer the call of whoever made my quilt and to participate in the circle of giving on the other side.
Flashback: I have a dear lifelong family friend who has been quilting and sewing for the last 30 years and is a member of the Salt Lake Modern Quilting Guild. She posts some of the most beautiful pieces you’ve ever seen; they are beyond mere fabric—they are works of art. Six months ago, I inquired about the Guild and learned that it was open to anyone, with memberships starting at the beginning of the year.
I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions, but for some reason, this year, on New Year’s Eve, I joined the Quilting Guild, and today was my first sewing day.
When I walked into the sewing studio, I found a place to sit and immediately met Gina, a woman who, as you might guess, sews quilts anonymously for people all over the world. She told me about her network of over 7,000 quilters working together to send quilts to Ukraine, Turkey, North Carolina, and California. Gina had a list of almost every natural disaster in the last 20 years; you could tell she had made quilts for all of them.
I held back tears when she asked me about my story. I told her that she was kind of the reason I was there—that people like her had sent me a message of compassion while I was in the Trauma Unit, and I wanted to let them know what it meant to me and to participate in the same act of giving.
I overheard some of the ladies saying, “You know, I’ve sewn so many quilts for the hospital and the VA. Sometimes, I wonder if they really make a difference or if this is just something I can’t stop doing.” I responded, “You have no idea. I have a friend who just left the Burn Unit via the VA. When he was finally heading home to Idaho after 90 days in the hospital, there was a quilt waiting for him in the lobby. He took it home to remember what he went through and for comfort.”
Those ladies kept me busy today. I sewed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and I feel like I worked a double shift. I’m worn out but also incredibly grateful to have met some of these amazing people, to have made friends, and to have participated in their projects.
As many of you know, I have a special relationship with Mr. McQueen. One lesson I continue to learn from him is that “doing for others is the greatest thing you can do in your life.” This is the reason I’m sharing my story. I’ve already received the gift of sewing today and plan to reap it further as I continue. For those of you who are trying to find light in this world right now (I see you, I hear you, I feel you), I think Mr. McQueen would want me to share his words again—really, they might be Gina’s words too—remember that there’s always a gift ( or light ) in being selfless. The greatest thing you can do for yourself is doing something for somebody else.…
God Bless the anonymous quilters of the World and the anonymous gifts they give to anonymous people in suffering all over the planet.
Im halfway done with this quilt …
