I’ve made dozens of these warmth and lovingkindness (WALK) blankets and given them away. Melissa and Shannon have told me several times that I should also offer them for sale and special order.

And it’s time to do that.

But today I made a pretty pink WALK Neck Nuzzler (scarf) for a precious young person, and got 3/4ths of the way through a blanket that I’ve had on hold for a fabulous wild child. Next will be a Shrug Hug – a warm snuggle of love that wraps around one’s shoulders.

I can’t find my quilting square so as I was leaving the house to run errands I quickly grabbed a piece of cardstock that had been previously used–as I intended to make the blanket while I waited for the girls.

As I cut the piece of cardstock as a guide to anchor each of the four corners, I smiled as I remembered how much more anxious I used to be about perfecting the process when I first began to cut the blankets myself instead of getting them pre-cut by the CIV Prayer Team.

I was sometimes so frustrated that I cried. The fabric needed to be perfectly laid out, the squares all needed to be precisely cut, strips needed to be exactly one and a half inches wide and three or four inches long. Then one day as I was wrestling to line everything up just so, Priya said, “you’re supposed to be enjoying this Mom, not worrying about it being perfect.”

Yeah. Chick. Practice what you preach.

Anj rubbed my back, and reminded me that it was okay.

I listened.

My shoulders dropped, tears stopped and I leaned in to enjoyment.

That soon evolved to not needing the quilting square, not needing the big table, not needing anything but the fabric, sharp scissors, a piece of a flat surface, a comfy chair, and a four-sided piece of paper with edges that could serve well enough as a guide.

As I prepped the fabric today I chuckled as I realized that peace and purpose had long ago aligned with process to create joy.