Thank you!

thankful...

Dear Fabric Friends, It is often during this time of year that we sit down and ponder where our life has taken us and we draw upon that review to determine what we have to be thankful for. The truth is, 2014 has been a chaotic one for us. I would be fibbing if I did not admit there were many times I discouragingly plopped in my chair and mumbled out loud that it is just too much.  Then out of seemingly nowhere, I would receive a card, a phone call, flowers even chocolate from friends. Sometimes it was simply a nudge from a stranger that would give me just enough of a boost to say continue on. Looking back there are many things I could be angry about. A landlord that proved to be deceptively untrustworthy, a mountain of unbudgeted bills related to moving, the loss of income due to needing to be closed for a few weeks, twice, the stress this entire situation has created in my family, even the weight I've gained in the process. Yet none of that really matters when I look at my beautiful Sarah sitting by my side. She is alive! And for that I am most grateful.  I am so thankful for the blogging friendship of a family who's daughter is painfully no longer with us, yet has shared their daughter's memory with us. If it were not for those two pillowcases Sarah elected to make for Kristen Kirton, our shop would never have come to be. So instead of allowing anger to set in my heart, I am consciously choosing to focus on all the positive that is surrounding us. We have a beautiful new store with a four year lease. We have so many friends who have followed us to the new location. Our bills are getting paid. Our pillowcase mission is continuing in even bigger ways. And we are meeting beautiful new friends like Mary Albaugh who started Amazing Grace Pillowcase Ministry in Bloomingdale. She along with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers have stitched close to 3,000 cases to distribute in the Appalachian area of southeastern Ohio. Our hearts are full of gratitude and love this Thanksgiving season. Thank you to each and everyone who has touched our life in some way. May your blessings be abundant.

blessed greetings to nancy & harold...

moments like this one fill my heart with overloaded joy. meet harold and nancy...

they are traveling through ohio from missouri heading to niagara falls and planned their trip to stop at our shop to meet sarah. why? because nancy, who has been a long distance truck driver for 27 years, has been following our story. she quilts. and harold who she taught to drive an 18 wheeler after a career as a school administrator, had a sister with down syndrome. joanna passed away at the age of 55, but as he described had a wonderful life. it was like meeting family who we have just never had the pleasure of meeting before. such a treasure it is having this little quilt shop. we are so grateful. thank you for coming to see us nancy & harold. you are in inspiration to us. safe travels to you.

a few delays...

let me take you back for a moment to january 2008. we were living in the holiday inn in mayfield village while a construction team worked on our house damaged by a storm. sarah was struggling a bit to breath so i was heading to the cleveland clinic with her in the back seat. we were sitting at a red light at wilson mills and richmond when i realized she was no longer breathing. i made the split second decision to run the red light and speed down anderson to get to our house where the portable phone, which would connect to 911 with a readout, was just inside the garage door.

i performed rescue breathing with her in the back seat until the south euclid squad arrived. as the paramedics worked in perfect tandem with sarah on a skinny gurney in the middle of our snow covered cul-de-sac, i looked up and saw this man and his crew standing at our windows with tears rolling down their cheeks. 

 

although we have run into a few minor hurdles with our new store renovation, al pestotnik has never forgotten that day. his bond with sarah runs deep from that experience and this afternoon he told me whatever it takes to get this project done, he and his brother will make it happen. i love how God brings just the right people into our lives to help us achieve our goals. feeling very grateful.