Valor Quilt Bee: Why We Do What We Do

What a Gift Tonight Was!

. . .for Ginger, Kim, and I, as well as for the 89 returned recovering Marines who got Quilts of Valor at their welcome home banquet. Let me share my diary note that I wrote when I got home, along with some photos that Kim took:

On January 29, 2011, I experienced the profound pleasure of being a part of the welcoming line for 89 returned marines and their wives. As if that wasn't touching enough, I got to eat with them at their banquet, listen to the gunny speak to them, and then help pass out the surprise Quilts of Valor to every one of them.

One sits there watching their ceremony, wondering what these young men are going to think about getting a quilt. You wonder if something that you and dozens of other women have put hours of labor and love into are going to just be some dumb old thing to a tough guy.

You don't wonder anymore when the chaplain tells them that 4 of the women who worked on those quilts are sitting at the back table celebrating their return - and every one of those 89 marines and their spouses jumps up into a roaring standing ovation that holds strong for over sixty seconds.

And your heart melts as those marines line up to eagerly hug you with their deepest gratitude and a young, scared wife cries on your shoulder, telling you "Thank you for our first family heirloom."

If you want to know what it feels like to be hugged by angels, find some returned recovering marines.

And if you ever wondered if your Quilt of Valor contribution is really appreciated (be it long-arm quilting service, piecing a whole top, a single block, or even just helping to cut it out), You can stop worrying. You cannot imagine the emotional energy involved. Don’t hesitate to jump in and contribute a block here and there or help at a workshop to make these gifts of comfort and honor.