Several of you have mentioned that you knit or crochet or weave.... Sounds like an ongoing activity could be a group who does these for people among us in need of one. A lot of local communities in our area have a ministry like that for fire victims.

My paw in law (Stanley) got a wonderful gift from his church's Prayer Blanket Group. I think they make a macrame kind of lap robe.... the group meets to work in the piece together and as it is tied, each knot is prayed over for the recipient, and prayed into the piece as an offering, in specific as regards their situation. He's a bit of a southern fella, raised in churches where "covered in prayer" or "covered by prayer" has a specific meaning, although he's a farily dignified Episcopalian now.

Anyway, this very tough old bird sheds tears (finally) when he holds it and tries to talk with my maw in law about whether he will ever be able to come home again... Hip surgery rehab seems to indicate he will not, and he has never had a culture of exressing deep feelings.....

I mention this just by way of illustrating how very powerful a symbol something is when we can hold it in our hands and focus on the amazing abundance of love it conveys.


I want to thank the many who have PMed about the $$ side. This idea-- call it a bandwagon-- was built, rolling, and broadcasting in the space of about 15 minutes and knowing MMario's generous heart I never thought about costs for materials, but of course you Mudcatters are..... well, you're Mudcatters, and you've filled in the gaps in our ideas quite marvelously, making this your own idea as well, and I appreciate the spirit in which you've all jumped on a fast-moving bandwagon! I am opening a special bank account and should have details by end of week or early next. Clearly there is enough support in the offing to reimburse MMario to go ahead and get what his hands crave to fashion into our gift to Heather.

And $$ participation IS NOT REQUIRED-- it's about the connections, OK???? A few folks have indicated they can cover more than their "own" share, so DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. For this project, the more people, the better, and it's the names and hearts that will make the impact.

~Susan