Blankets of Praise

Every year on Mother's Day, the ladies here at Summit UMC gather together the best blankets they can make for the Blankets of Praise. I can't remember a year when I didn't see multitudes of colorful, soft blankets covering the altar.

So what is Blankets of Praise? 

Well, every year, the United Methodist Women of the Elizabethtown District collect blankets from their churches and gather them at one church on the Saturday after Mother's Day. At this event, the blankets are counted and blessed, and after that they are sent to children in need. 

And, according to the Kentucky Annual Conference website, kyumc.org, last year, the UMW collected 332 blankets for babies who need them. 

I'd say that's something to be thankful for. 

This year's Blankets of Praise event at our church was especially meaningful, because this year, we had a quilt from Velma, a treasured member of our church and our UMW, just as we did every year. However, Velma passed away shortly before Mother's Day, and we miss her dearly. 

It's always been very inspiring to me to see the hard work that goes into these quilts and the generosity of the ladies that create them. Every year, Joye shows us a quilt that her mother made and reminds us of what a comfort it is to a sick child to have a warm, soft blanket as protection. God's love envelopes us all in our time of need, just like a good quilt wraps around a young baby. 

Someday, I hope that this practice continues to be carried out in our church by the younger generation. This is a valued tradition that brings happiness and comfort to many people every year, and it's the little things like providing someone with warmth that reach out to people as a ministry. 

Every time I see a quilt, I think of the person who made it, and all the time and effort that went into making such a beautiful thing. I think of the spirit behind it, a spirit of diligence and hospitality, and I think of how much someone had to care to be patient and creative enough to do something like that. I have to think that someday, such effort will be rewarded, and perhaps the reward will be a smile from a child who needed a little love from a kind person. 

The Blankets of Praise event for the district this year was on Saturday, May 16. It's not too early to start planning and working for next year!