What a day! When I had my birthday last month my brother, David Lehnherr made me promise not to get him anything material for the holidays. He says, We all have too much crap. But he did give me an Amazon gift card, which paid for the new heater in my quilting studio and a really interesting book by Court Merrigan. For two years I have belonged to a quilting group called Sew Til You Glow, which is sponsored by the First Christian Church. The last two years I have gone to their quilting retreat up in Lincoln. I had agreed to fix lunch for the group (I love to cook for them) and I made a spread with raclette that was pretty good. There was a young couple there with a little girl, and they were thrilled by the raclette. I gave them mine when we were done. That was odd of me to do. Our group had talked about doing a service project for the holidays. About two blocks from the church is the YWCA, where I lived in 1984-85, when I first came to work in the Montana Senate. The mission statement of the YWCA in Helena reads: Our mission is to prevent homelessness, provide safe and supportive housing for women and children experiencing homelessness, and provide services that restore hope, self-sufficiency, and happy and healthy lives. Together with YWCA USA and YWCAs across the country, we are dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Two years ago, when I was working and had a regular income, I made 27 stockings for the Y, and filled them with dollar store toiletries, an orange, and a $5 bill each. It was pretty overwhelming but I was glad to know that the women who stayed there had something in the darkest part of the year. This year, with no job (until next week) and limited income, I knew that I couldnt afford to do the same thing. I suggested our group do a service project for the Y. I called the Y and they said it would be great if we could do that, and that they had 20 residents currently. So this week I cut out 42 stocking pieces -- two make a single stocking. We ended up making 16 stockings today, and I will finish the cuffs on the remaining five to total 21 (the extra one is in case there is somebody else at the last minute). My therapist gave me a sack full of hotel toiletries; you know, those little bottles of shampoo and conditioner in your room. One lady brought clementines; another one brought lotions. Other folks brought candy, and there was a bag of little stuffed penguins. Yesterday I was thinking about what else we could make. I have more fabric than money, and I was thinking of how stark my little room was at the Y. I suggested that we make pillowcases, and by the end of today there were 21 lovely pillowcases lined up to go. I like thinking of them being bright and cheerful, and something that will prove useful, too. On Monday evening I am meeting with Stephanie Hagerman to assemble the stockings. Holiday Gift #1 to my little brother. Many of us have way too much stuff, but not everyone has enough.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 00:21:21 +0000
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