Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed. ~Irene Pete
One beautiful day in 1979 I was out running errands with my baby Cari, in Guadalajara Mexico. I put my purse on the roof of the car, strapped Cari in the infant seat (we didn’t have car seats then) and hopped into the driver’s seat. I drove a few feet, heard a thump and realized that my purse just flew off the roof of the car. I immediately stopped the car, jumped out and searched the area but my purse was gone. In my panic, I ran to the road workers nearby and asked them if anyone saw my purse, but surprisingly – no one saw anything. I vowed that I would ALWAYS keep better track of my purse…
In the early 1980’s we were driving from our home in Michigan to visit family in Illinois. When we arrived in Rockford I reached for my purse as we got out of the car. No purse. Trying to retrace our steps, the only stop we made was at a McDonalds restaurant in Battle Creek Michigan. I have no idea how Terry remembered the exit number, but we were able to track down the McDonalds phone number through “Information” (we didn’t have internet then) and sure enough, they had my purse. We picked it up on our way back home a few days later - contents intact. WHEW!
On another occasion, while I was shopping in Springfield, I heard my name announced over the mall loud speaker. Guess what? Someone had found my purse hanging on a hook in the dressing room of a store where I had been shopping. Oops! I retrieved it with everything accounted for – thank heavens! Each time I recoverd my lost purse, I vowed I would ALWAYS double check to make sure I had my purse with me. I really tried to keep that vow – however it has been much more difficult than I ever anticipated and I have found that I still have trouble keeping track of my purse. I have left it in various restaurants, gas stations, churches, homes of friends and family and restrooms across the country. It has been suggested to me that I not carry a purse – but that is totally out of the question. What would I do without my camera, cell phone, my checkbook, my hand sanitizer, my brush, my pen, pencil and Sharpie marker? How can I live without my keys, my credit cards, my dollars and my change? What if I (or someone else) need some Tylenol or Dramamine or Immodium, Zantac or Tums? You never know when I’ll need a Band-Aid, Lip Stick, a breath mint, glasses, dental floss, a tape measure or all the punch & discount cards that I have from various shops that I frequent!
Actually I’ve been pretty good about keeping track of my purse lately… well - except for an incident in October - you may remember my blog entry when Cheryl, Jane and I were at the Bloomington airport. I discovered at check-in that I left my purse at home and Terry came to my rescue by making a mad dash to the airport so that I wouldn’t miss my flight…
Well - last Tuesday – it happened again! While driving to Chicago with Cheryl to purchase fabric for Make a Blanket Day – Cheryl’s cell phone rang. It was Terry letting her know that my purse was hanging in a BP Gas Station bathroom stall in Odell Illinois. The kind and honest worker who discovered my purse found my phone number on my checks and called my home. She gave me a pretty good reprimand when we returned (we were almost an hour away when we got the call) and I assured her that I had been beating myself up the entire way back to Odell. Cheryl has since vowed that she will always be on “purse watch” when she travels with me and she said she would also enlist the help of other family and friends!
So – referring back to the quote at the beginning of the blog – although my purses are different, my circumstances are different and the places I go are different – the basic scenario never changes. I still lose track of my purse on occasion. I still panic when I realize that my purse is gone, I waste a lot of time either looking for it or going back for it, I profusely apologize to everyone who is with me for the inconvenience, I express extreme gratitude to the person who returns it to me, and I vow never to do it again…until the next time happens. In addition, I am very grateful that I don’t have to travel with someone like me because I’m afraid I wouldn’t be as gracious as my friends and family have been…each time it happens.
On Saturday, February 20th we celebrated our National Make a Blanket Day. Although the place was different (we moved our event from the Hickory Point Mall to Decatur Memorial Hospital), the set-up was different (due to the fact that our numbers increased substantially to 175 attendees) and the food was different (now catered by the hospital), nothing had actually changed. The Golden K’s, the LDS Missionaries and our spouses, families and friends helped with set-up and take-down and carried attendees’ supplies. We had door prizes, added charms to our bracelets, played games, had special drawing prizes including handmade big boards donated by Bill Busbey and a sewing machine, donated by Stewarts. And all the while, our attendees made blankets…lots of blankets…1553 blankets…for seriously ill and traumatized children in our local chapter area and in Haiti. We visited with friends while we worked side by side, serving those children who needed our help.
Thank you to each of you for your support. It is because of you that our work is able to continue. Even though things may be different on occasion – nothing has really changed! National Make a Blanket Day 2010 was a wonderful and productive day! We still love to do what we do and we try to do our best to offer comfort to any child who needs a hug!
Happy Blanketmaking!
Mary
