Old friends, and a community at work

I recently had the opportunity to attend a community quilting workshop in Lexington, MA, hosted by the Northeast region of Quilters Connection.  The venue was the auditorium at Brookhaven Retirement Community.  My friend Jane Norberg of QC frequently gives me quilts for Wrap-A-Smile and I knew it would be fun to see her group in action. What I didn't anticipate was a group of 65 (!) busily cutting, sewing, quilting and binding quilts, not to mention the teddy bears being stuffed and the pillowcases being assembled.  It was a real beehive of activity.

A bonus was running into several of my former patients from the days when I was a dentist in Lexington. The part I miss most about my former life is the contact with my patients, so the hugs with Ann H, Mary P, Bernice M, Selma E, Sylvia F and Kathy P were extra special.  It was definitely more fun to connect through sewing than with a dental drill in my hand!

With my former patient Bernice M, a friend of 40 years

Catching up with Ann H and Selma E

Through my engagement with Wrap-A-Smile and the larger universe of charity quilting I continue to meet people who inspire me.  While talking with quilter Barbara U, an RN who is also a self-described "foot whisperer", I learned that she works a second job providing foot care for the elderly.  She became licensed as a manicurist and makes house calls to clean and massage the feet of people who can no longer do that for themselves.  She truly treats both body and soul - and finds time to create quilts for charity in her "spare" time.  Another remarkable woman making the world a better place!

Thank you to Brookhaven for hosting and for providing lunch for all.  And special thanks to Jane Norberg for sending me back to Maine with another bag full of colorful quilts for Wrap-A-Smile.