Sometimes, You Just Have to Do Something

I'm a fixer. Really, I am. Okay, so you may have gathered that I am also more than a little obsessive-compulsive and I want to do everything. This is all true. Once upon a time, Mr. Engineer and I were reviewing our life goals and I think I surprised him a little with one of mine. I want to change the world. At the least, I want to make a difference. So far, I haven't figured out how to make an enormous change, but I continue with small changes. We donate money to worthwhile causes like the Red Cross and AIDS research. We donate time to worthwhile endeavors such as cleaning up our local parks. We try to raise Young Man to be conscious of his surroundings and to treat everyone and everything with respect.

Too often, these small things just don't seem to be enough. After 9/11, I had to quilt. I can't explain it, but I had to make a quilt. I made a child's quilt that I donated to be given to a child who lost someone that day. On a more personal level, Young Man's wonderful first grade teacher just gave birth to her first child knowing that her baby has Spina Bifida. Again, I made a quilt. This time it was a large, soft, colorful one to give the family the hug that I cannot give from so many miles away.

Last week a post from a friend hit me again and I had to do something. Jo and I have been posting together in cybercommunities for years. I know her well enough to know that she doesn't go to bat for just anyone. When she posted about her friend who has ovarian cancer, it hit me harder than most such posts. Maybe it was the age of the friend (27) that reminded me of my sister's brush with cancer. Maybe it was Jo's offer to shave her own head after shaving her friend's. Whatever it was, I knew I had to help somehow. I pulled some Fun Fur from stash and a pattern for a No Hair Day Hat and put together a fun, fuzzy hat that is very nearly the same color as my own hair. Then I found the ball of Rowan Calmer that followed me home from the LYS one day and made another Shedir. This particular ball of Calmer does come with a story. The day I bought it, I was looking for something else and it fell into my basket. It isn't a color that I wear, but I love the feel of it so I bought it. It seems to have worked well and I hope that these two offerings give some comfort to Jo's friend.