The Quilt - A statement of belief

This I Believe

I believe every single individual in my life has something of value I can learn from them. This influences how I interact with others. I look for the gift a person brings into my life and thus rarely see the negative things about them. Not seeing the negative has caused pain in my life as some people have taken advantage of me, but the occasional hurt is worth the risk. With time and experience, I developed boundaries to protect myself. Yet, because I value the gift I know each person can contribute to my life, I go out of my way not to put up the walls that could shut them out. As a result, I developed valuable friendships with some people I saw many others shun. As I listened to the heartaches, life experiences, and lessons learned from those whom others have cut out of their lives, they taught me some of my greatest treasures of wisdom. It gives me a greater ability to feel compassion, love, forgiveness, and to not take offense easily.

 I don’t know when this first became so important to me. In grade school I watched as others were picked on and I would go out of my way to show them I was their friend. One girl in particular was shunned because she was heavier than the rest of us. I made her a quilt for our eighth grade graduation. After high school, I lost touch with her. Then one year, out of the blue, she called me for my birthday. Her phone call lifted my spirits on a rough day. About a year ago, we connected on Facebook. Shortly after we connected, she came for a visit. She talked about the quilt I made for her and how she still has it and how much she values it. There are many ways the current life of this remarkable woman influences mine for the better.