JOY arrived in my office last week in a clear heavy plastic bag.
With it came a few instructions that were a delight to follow. I could have waited a few days but instead I set aside my work, pulled on my jacket, grabbed my car keys and set out to share some joy.
There were three individuals on my list to see. Each was well acquainted with difficulties and sadness; each deserving some joy and love. Thing is, as I dropped around to their homes it was I who received just as much as they did, perhaps even more!
Each received a comfort quilt that had purposely been created for them. Each quilt uniquely designed with the recipient in mind and I was amazed by how perfectly each quilt fit the one receiving it.
There is a small group of five JOY bearers, Michelle Jack, June Sinfeld, Linda Walton, Gayle Wardrop and Cathy Alexander, in Saugeen Shores and I was blessed to be asked to do a small part in sharing the joy they created. They call themselves the Comfort Quilters of Saugeen Shores.
Each quilt is created out of donated new fabric. They create one of a-kind masterpieces for individuals undergoing medical treatments, to families who have been displaced due to house fires, and to community groups such as the Second Stage Housing, the Salvation Army, Community Living, Special Olympics, the Living Hope Center, and to 3 local churches.
From January to November of 2020 this little group registered 123 quilts of various designs and sizes – quite a feat for five members! And, as of December 10th, the Comfort Quilters of Saugeen Shores will have distributed 90+ quilts. With each stitch bringing joy and comfort that is a lot of joy to be shared!
When I spoke to one of these crafters of joy she humbly told me, “It is important to note that our members get as much out of making these quilts as the recipients do when they receive them.”
Well, one thing I know for sure is that the three quilts I was blessed to deliver certainly lifted my spirits and filled me with such joy that even now, a week later I am still feeling deeply grateful.
I thank these five women for fully embodying what we all are called to do in 1 Peter 4:10, “Every believer has received grace gifts, so use them to serve one another as faithful stewards of the many-coloured tapestry of God’s grace.”(1 Peter 4:10, TPT)
May their needles never dull, their threads never knot and may their hands never tire as they go about doing God’s work.
Blessings,
Rev. Heather McCarrel
Port Elgin United Church
