Last week we collected a parcel of love. The girls opened a box with two large blankets within it, each one made of hand-stitched squares sent by crafters who live all around the world.

Calista Mae, 4yo, February 2013
Calista wraps herself in one of our love blankets.

Abby Hogarth, who coordinated the blankets’ creation, also kindly provided a legend for each piece, so I can examine each square and know whose artwork it is. This is a beautiful gift that touches me on a deep level, for I have seen the names on those pieces of paper of people who I did not hear from in the months following Elijah’s death, and so I did not know that they cared about us.

Truly, there is something special about a gift that comes from a friend who is physically absent. For when I reach for that chapstick, when I use those chopsticks, when I wrap myself in the blanket made by friends who have shared my tears, I am connected to that person and the love they have invested in our relationship — evident in a physical token now within my grasp.

I am again overwhelmed by the love that is shown to me, woven thoughtfully into each hand-made square. Thank you so much to those who stitched together their love and time — I feel the remnant of your touch each night, and it comforts me, reminding me that I am not alone. We share the same divine love, and it sustains us all.