Healing a major illness or blow to the heart is hard work but that work is made lighter when it is supported in word and spirit by a community of people. Words have great power, for good or ill. A community quilt is an invitation to choose words for love and support.
We have found that loving words sent as messages for our quilts go to work immediately, even before the quilt is made. Recipients tell us that they feel better, not so alone, and have a brighter outlook. After they receive their quilts, they will not part with them, not for any amount of time. In fact, some take their quilts to the hospital when they are undergoing tests, even taking them through an MRI.
Community support of healing is something that is often overlooked or shied away from in our culture. Too often, people dont know what to say to a person facing grief, cancer or some other serious illness and so they stay away, leaving the sufferer feeling all the more alone. Community quilts are a way to redress this, to bring people closer in a useful way, and give a tangible gift of love to someone who needs it.
You dont need a large group of people to give a community quilt. Ten to twenty are more than enough to make a big difference in supporting someones healing.
