On its way to Stuart

The quilt was placed into Lisa's hand today at our local USPS and sent with delivery confirmation and priority mail. Stuart should have the quilt by Wednesday. Oh Yeah!

Happy Thanksgiving to All Emergency Responders

More Than A Day As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we're poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound. We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We're wealthy, when push comes to shove. So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you've got;
Realize it's a lot,
And you'll make all your cares go away. By Karl Fuchs

Stuarts Quilt

Stuart's quilt is completed and will be mailed out next week. Here are some of the pictures of the quilt. It is 35" x 50" and I just love the way it turned out. I am sure hoping it has enough oranges and greens in it to keep Stuart happy and I know the fleece backing will be the soft Stuart likes.

I can't wait to drop it in the mail and I hope he enjoys it as much as I enjoyed putting it together for him!

One Down and Many To Go...

I got word yesterday that a dispatch center in the mid-west is going to start a coin drive for my projects and on top of that, one of their supervisors is going to sponsor an entire quilt. How cool is that?

I truly do feel it is a calling to be able to reach out and help these people who have such a need for comfort.

You can trust and believe me, I am a self-taught quilter and if I had the time to take a class on just some of the basics you can bet I would do that in a heart beat. Then again, hubby would probably have kittens. Oh well, he would quickly get over it.

Adopt a Quilt

I am looking for some dispatchers or dispatch center(s) that would like to adopt a quilt for a young woman who lost all her possessions in a house fire. Yes, this person is a dispatcher and her center is keeping the entire thing a secret.

While I know it is the holiday season and many of us are stretched, I am asking for a bit of help on this one, perhaps $20 from a center to help pay for shipping and insurance, batting, etc.

Believe me people, I have no reason to lie or cheat you out of your money. I have 2 books of thank you's and quilt pictures on quilts I have sent to others in need. I am a child of my parents and the thought of lying to someone or cheating them sickens me, not to mention my ethics and firm belief in the 10 Commandments.

Just contact me and I will tell you how to help. I will not accept more than I need!

Bay St. Louis, I Haven't Forgotten

WOW! It has been almost 4 years since Hurricane Katrina hit and did horrible devastation and I have fallen down and at times been unable to get back up both physically and spiritually. If you follow my blogs, you know that many things have happened to our family since 2005, some good, some horrible and some just everyday stuff.

I sent many quilts to Bay St. Louis right after Hurricane Katrina hit and then I promised some of them I would make them quilts. Some received them and others did not. I sent quilts to dispatchers in and out of the area, to New York, to Washington, all for those people in need. But still in my heart, I felt the tuggings of those people I hadn't finished my commitment to.

Well, after many months of being stored, hidden away, yesterday I came across the list of dispatchers I still owe quilts to and I wrote my dear contact person Clementine a letter of apology asking for their forgiveness.

So, for those of you who probably think I just blew you off...Tracy Ladner, Anita Fowler and Linda Coy, I have not forgotten you. I carry you with a heaviness in my heart and now that I have found my list, I have written to Clementine to see if we can't get this show back on the road and I can finish what I promised!

For anyone wanting to donate to sponsor one of the quilts for these ladies, I need 3 queen sized battings, 100+ inch wide muslin or queen sized flat sheets in purple, blue, blue and mauve.

Until these ladies have their promised quilts and the other 3 that I am working on receive theirs, I am unable to make anymore commitments to anyone at this time. As soon as I can I will notify you of my availability.

Thank You Veterans For Your Service

The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq'

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago '

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant afifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it.'

Tracy Corbin

Close to my Heart