I’m glad to hear that a number of you have tested your home for radon after reading my last blog post. Good news!

I must confess I’ve had a rough month, with a touch of the flu, then a cold which has dragged on. I still sound awful – coughing horribly – but I’m feeling much better and thankful / hoping to be kicking this cold to the curb!

But enough about that! I want to tell you a wonderful thing that happened several weeks ago. A complete stranger came to my house and gave me a quilt!

This “stranger” volunteers with Victoria’s Quilts Canada, delivering handmade quilts to people with cancer. A woman from church very kindly and thoughtfully asked them to make a quilt for me. She let me know it would be coming, so this was not completely unexpected!

What did surprise me, though, was that I broke down and cried when I saw the quilt!

When I learned that a quilt had been requested for me, I went online to learn about Victoria’s Quilts – you can click the link above if you’re interested. They have a lovely story and a strong volunteer base who seek to “bring physical comfort to those dealing with cancer, as well as spiritual comfort in knowing that they are not alone in their struggle.” They currently distribute about 600 quilts per month, with a lovely little card.

I got to chatting with the woman who delivered my quilt, and it turns out that when I was a toddler, she lived across the street from my family. We don’t remember each other at all, but what a small world! I asked if I could take a picture of her with the quilt, but she said no – it’s not about her, it’s about the quilt. Before I had any idea a quilt had been requested for me, before I had even heard of Victoria’s Quilts, people were thinking of me, caring for me, and working on a quilt just for me.

I have a confession to make. I feel small and ungrateful, but shortly before my quilt arrived, I wondered if I would like it, and prayed a quick prayer that I would like it, that something about it would be special for me. (Like it wasn’t enough that so many people put so much kindness and care into the whole process…)

You may know that I love being in or near water. If you’ve seen the art in my home, almost every picture is of water. I love the beach!

When I caught my first glimpse of my quilt, I started to cry because it’s the beach! When I look at it, I see a beautiful gift made especially for me! I am so grateful! I was surprised by how deeply significant this generous gift was to me.

I have so much to be thankful for, including thoughtful and generous friends and strangers, my husband and kids who have done so much extra around the house these past few weeks (my 17yo is cooking dinner as I write this!), special times with family, and Easter – a celebration of the most deeply significant, loving, generous gift ever!

Whether or not you are celebrating Easter this year, may you and yours be filled with joy and gratitude! And may you know that there are people cheering for you, even if you can’t always hear them.