Gerry

I posted this quilt last year, but I didn't add the rest of the story. Please scroll down if you've already read the first part. My husband has been going to the same hairdresser at Supercuts for many years. He mentioned to her that I make quilts as a hobby, so she asked him to ask me if I would make one for her. She gave him her phone number with instructions for me to give her a call. I figured that she wasn't serious, but then she asked him about it again at his next haircut. I don't know her, and I had other projects that I was working on, so I told him to tell her that I don't sew for money, which is true. He relayed that information at his next haircut, and her response was that she would do my hair for free. I already have a hairdresser so I am not in need of her services. She wasn't letting up, so I reluctantly made the call. She wasn't interested in shopping for fabrics or looking at patterns. She told me that she has always loved handmade quilts, and that she didn't care what it looked like or how big it was. I could have said NO, but I didn't. I set out to make her a quilt using fabrics that I had in my stash. I live in Baton Rouge, and I was busy quilting it this past Sunday, when I heard the news that multiple police officers had been shot. Three officers were killed and three more were wounded. One of those three is in very critical condition from shots to the head and stomach. All of these men have families that depend on them for support. The young daughter of one of the officers told someone that she didn't believe that her daddy was dead. He was going to come home. The killer drove over 700 miles with the sole purpose of killing as many of our police officers as he could. It's sickening. I turned off my machine, and I stayed glued to the TV for the rest of the day. The past two weeks have been horrible in Baton Rouge. Most of the protestors have been peaceful, but several of them have screamed at, and thrown rocks and water bottles at our policemen. I've been grumbling about making a quilt for someone that I don't know, and I'm wrong for that. It's time to perform random acts of kindness for each other. That's how we can make a change in our society. I finished the quilt this morning, and I plan to ask the hairdresser to "Pay it Forward" by donating to a First Responders fund which has been set up by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. http://www.braf.org/ebrfirstresponders There is a similar fund which has been set up by the Dallas foundation. https://lineofdutyfund.kimbia.com/lineofduty Please make a donation to either of these funds if you can. The rest of the story: Baton Rouge received about 30 inches of rain about 2 weeks after I gave her this quilt. Her home flooded, and she grabbed the quilt and carried it above her head as she evacuated her home. She said that it was her most treasured possession. How sweet is that?!