A needle. A thread. Fabrics of red and green. Love. Kindness.
Hours, days, weeks, and months go by. A group of sweet ladies sew away. A scrap of fabric added to another and then another... soon beautiful quilts emerge. Lovely Christmas quilts.
As batting is layered with fabric, and panels are tied, the women ponder the difficult experience that NICU parents endure. The quilters are touched and want to give just a little something to brighten a day, to bring a smile to a weary mom.
The ladies have considered that some of the infants would be home for the holidays snuggled in their new quilts. But, they also knew very will that some of the quilts would only held in the arms of a mom or a dad, as they sat by their baby's bedside, peering into an isolette and watching the hard working nurses and doctors keep their precious little one alive.
A few days ago the call came. It was time to pick up the bounty of blankets, in flannel and cotton. An incredible woman, my sister, went to work, throughtout an entire day, laundering dozens upon dozens of tiny treasures. Finally the quilts were ready. Ready to be united with their little boy or girl
Arriving at the hospital with my car loaded up like Santa's sleigh, I brought the hand-made gifts up to the NICU. After piling the quilts high on a cart, I began to push them from NICU room to NICU room. And sure enough, when the parents and nurses caught sight of the handmade presents, their eyes brighted. They gathered around the cart, amazed at all of the beautiful choices. It wasn't easy to decide which to pick. They were all so beautiful.
Soon, many little cherubs had little quilts wrapped around them. More smiles filled each room.
Some of the babies parents could not be at their bedsides when I arrived. But, my own heart was touched again as I watched the NICU nurses search through the abundance of blankets, choosing quilts for "their babies".
"Look Emma, " a nurse said sweetly as she brought a quilt to her tiny patient, "I picked this one just for you!"
Beautiful.
It was beautiful to see the labor of love of the many quilting "angels" bless almost ninety NICU families this Christmas with their simple, meaningful gift.
It is the true spirit of Christmas.
I send out a special thank you to all of the NICU nurses out there who offer such extaordinary care and love to premature and sick babies and their families. You are amazing.
34 comments:
That is such a wonderful thing to do, and written in such a lovely way.
My eyes: wet.
My heart: happy.
Happy Friday to you!
That is truly beautiful, and exactly what this season is all about. I know the parents loved getting those blankets.
Oh, that is awesome! I was hoping there'd be a picture. =0)
God Bless those wonderful, caring ladies!
That is soo sweet. I love the little ladies that quilt and sew. Sewing and Quilting, I feel like it is a dying art form. I love to see the blankets. They are just beautiful!!!
This is SO not right Julie,SO not right at all...
A redneck should never...AND I mean never, have moisture collect in the corner of his eye...
Well maybe if he has spilled his can of Bud, or dropped his chew in the river when fishing.
BUT over a blanket???
Shame on you Julie....
Now where did I put that darn handkerchief....
Merry Christmas :o)
That is so so sweet. I love my homemade blankets that my kids received. Just so special. Love this idea. Truly what Christmas is all about.
What a wonderful thing to do for the babies at Christmas! Labor of love! That is what life is all about! Especially this time of year!
This gave me chills. Thank you so much for sharing.
It takes a special person to be a NICU nurse. They are to be commended!
Wow. Really motivates me to do something for the NICU where my daughter was born... She spent 5 weeks there and I probably would have broken down to see handmade gifts delivered. Thank you Julie for your story. Amazing, as always.
Touching. That's all I can say!
We have a large childeren's hospital NICU which is where my first daughter was the first month of her life. Every baby in the NICU there recieves one of these quilts, what a blessing. I also was so thankful for the little NICU friendly preemie gowns that were made for us, it was so nice to see my tiny daughter in a little dress.
God bless all those who help babies and their mommies/daddies/families!!!
God bless all the angels here on earth who spread the Joy.
^^^^
oh, and that would be *you* too! *wink
xox
Such a sweet and thoughtful thing to do for these special babies and their families.
This made me cry. So precious. I wish you had pictures of the blankets. I bet they are beautiful.
Awww, Julie.. that was beautiful! At our Lighthouse Retreats, someone makes special blankets that have a little pocket that contains a "lovey".. some sort of little stuffed animal friend that the child can tuck in and take along. Knowing that these quilts and blankets were sewn with threads of love and many prayers makes SO much difference to these families. Thanks for sharing such a special time...
i don;t have word to say.....but felt very bad
What a sweet and loving act..bless their hearts!
~Silver
Reflections
That is so sweet. I pray for all the babies in the NICU, their parents and the nurses.
That is SO incredibly sweet, generous and thoughtful!! What a wonderful gift for those parents and their tiny babies!
Made my day to read the story......It has been such a blessing to meet you in blogland...You have enriched my life. Blessings to you and yours....Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with many blessings.
Teresa
Grammy Girlfriend http://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/
and
http://grammyababychangeseverything.blogspot.com
We were given a tied blanket when our 2nd. son was in the NICU after he was born. They also gave us our son a beanie baby, a book with his foot prints in it, and allowed us to pick out a knitted hat.
It may seem like such a simple thing- a blanket, a stuffed toy, foot prints in a book. To a mother who is exhausted and frightened, it means a lot to know someone was thinking of her family at a difficult time.
Blessings to you Julie. I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!
So sweet! Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
When I was working in the NICU - we had hand made quilts and knitted blankets donated as well. And thanks for the shout out to NICU nurses. Sorry - I have also been MIA lately - just life I guess...
What a wonderful gift for weary parents and babies! You are my hero!
Merry Christmas Julie!
Talk about being hands and feet... oh, how wonderful! Truly, those tiny precious babies aren't only wrapped in fabric, but in love. Swaddled in prayer, and hope, just as a certain other tiny baby was so many years ago. Just lovely, Julie...
Merry Christmas to you, Brian, and your children!
I love gifts like that! Very sweet! Have a Merry Christmas!
My grandmother makes blankets for our local Operation Linus program.
That must have been a beautiful sight!! I love those nurses for picking out blankets for the babies whose parents weren't there to do it themselves. :D
This brought tears to my eyes and really motivates me to want to crochet blankets for NICU babies. I can't sew (yet) but I can crochet. Thank you for this!
And I agree with others; LOVE that the nurses picked out blankets for "their" babies when the parents weren't there.
That is truly beautiful, and exactly what this season is all about. I know the parents loved getting those blankets.
Work from home India
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