Untainted

Back in October, I told Charlotte she needed to think of a service project to do for her birthday. She told me she'd let me know when she thought of one. Then one day while I was showing her some pictures of the Syrian refugees and explaining to her a little of what is happening in that part of the world she said, "Mom, for my service I want to make those people blankets and coats to send to them."

Thankfully I was able to talk her out of making coats (my skills there are far limited and I wasn't sure how to have her help with that) and we decided instead on sewing a small rag quilt. She picked out the fabric and I showed her how to cut the material into the squares. She decided on a diagonal pattern, laid out all the pieces, and then we sewed.

I'm the type of person that likes to get a project done, but Charlotte needed breaks or she would get bored at the sewing machine. I wanted it to be a fun experience for her so we took our time and with all the holiday celebrations we didn't finish the blanket until the first week of January. With the exception of clipping the seams (I was too afraid of her cutting through all that we had just sewn) Charlotte sewed the whole blanket. She was a bit skeptical about how it would turn out, but once it was washed, she was pleased. 

There has been a lot of political and social debate concerning what should be done with the refugees; how they should be treated, where they should live, what rights they should or shouldn't have. I am thankful for the moment I got to see in my beautiful daughter of genuine love, untainted by the opinions of a fallen world. She saw a need and wanted to fill it. When she saw the pictures of the refugees who had left their homes with basically nothing, she saw people, children of God, and she wanted to help. Thank you, Charlotte for inviting me to help you make this blanket of love.