The Heart in Humans
Dear Cheryl,
I wanted to share this feel-good story with you.
In a time when people seem to be more polarized and non-caring, with more bad news than good news reported, something like this happens.
Steve Hartman is a journalist with CBS news. He travels across the country meeting people and telling their stories. His stories are guaranteed to plump your heart and fill your eyes with tears of awe.
If he knew of this story, he’d be sharing it , just like me.
My mother passed away last year, and while clearing out her belongings, my sister and I came across her wedding dress. The dress was worn in 1950 and the years had made changes to the fabric. At this stage of packing up someone’s life, emotions are right at the surface and every item is precious.
We both looked at each other with eyes wide open asking, “What do we do with this?”
After a few moments, my sister had a flash of an idea. She recalled a woman in a town nearby who makes gowns from vintage wedding dresses for “babies born sleeping” for their funerals. Always prone to immediate action, she tracks the woman down and offers her the dress. The woman was delighted at the offer and we were relieved as she accepted our heirloom (in less than perfect condition) for her cause.
Fast forward to the present. The gown maker, Verna, reaches out to my sister and has something she wants to give us. Perplexed, my sister meets up with Verna to see what it could possibly be.
Verna shared that she was inspired to make Christmas ornaments from some of the fabric of the dress.
Now, this is something she had never done and had no clue how to do it. So, what did Verna do? Like the rest of us, she went to YouTube! She washed the discolored satin gown in her washing machine and….
It came through the wash perfectly!
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought the dress would survive a machine wash much less look as good as new! She used some of the fabric, the buttons, and the beading, to create these pieces:
I’m in awe!
’m in awe of the kindness that resides in Verna’s heart and her willingness to follow her inspiration when moved to do something she’s never done before.
I believe in the center of every human heart there is a space of warmth, kindness, and a desire to contribute. I’m incredibly grateful to be the recipient of Verna’s inspiration and generous heart. We will treasure these gifts that are symbols of the union we came from.
How would you like to offer your talents to the world?
I promise you; it will plump their hearts!
Sending smiles,
Cherie