“May we consider how each action we make, not only affects how we integrate our quilts made up of a lifetime of influences, but also shapes parts of the quilts of other people around us.” – Kyla Glover

Dear Neighbor,

“Your life is like a quilt. And everybody weaves their share… every little thread that weaves its joy and pain and fun has stitched a quilt together of the person you’ve become.” — Becky Hemsley

My Grandmaw Lavie was my most special and closest relative. Her influence on me still plays a part in how I choose to behave and treat others. She was an avid quilter. She is probably most known for her “soft quilts” or “grandma blankets” as we call them; the simple, flannel lap and bed quilts she made for everyone. Mostly she gave these as gifts, and she also sold them upon request to cover material expenses. She held people in need closest to her heart and did what she could to stand up for and help them, whether they were a child in need of more love and protection, or an elderly person most had forgotten. She taught me what unconditional love looks like in practice. She had a good, solid foundation of values from her parents, but she never tried to push her beliefs on anyone else. Her loving actions spoke for themselves. She wasn’t perfect, she was human, like all of us. Her life was made up of patterns and stitches from people around her, and she added so much love and joy and silliness to my life. My quilt fits together better because of her. And I often wrap up in one of her “grandma blankets” to comfort my body and soothe my soul, enveloped by warm, sweet memories.

“…she works with eager hands.” — Proverbs 31:13

I continue to integrate the lessons she taught me into my own life’s quilt. As I grow, I also consider how my actions affect those around me, and lay out designs for future generations. Everything I do directly affects my young daughter’s life, and her actions in turn affect others around her and one day her children, should she choose to have them, and so on and so on…

“To quilt is to live in a world where beauty is created from scraps, and every thread tells a story.” — Jennifer Chiaverini

May each of us reflect on how so many different people have helped quilt together the person we’ve become. The better qualities and the pieces we’d rather forget. All have helped shape who we have become.

May we pay special attention to those who continue to stitch love and beauty into our lives. They may be from our present, or even our past. Those gone but not forgotten.

May we consider how each action we make, not only affects how we integrate our quilts made up of a lifetime of influences, but also shapes parts of the quilts of other people around us. Loved ones. Strangers. Children watching us closely. We may be stitching in core parts of another person’s life quilt without even realizing it. Let’s strive to leave stitches of love, empathy, kindness and peace where we can.

“Quilting is the art of finding harmony in pieces.” — Angela Walters

May it be so.

“Dear Neighbor” authors are united in a belief that civility and passion can coexist. We believe curiosity and conversation make us a better community.