Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Jan. 12.
Charles M. Schulz, creator of the beloved “Peanuts” comic strip, was on to something when he inspired the animated show, “Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown” to illustrate for the world what something like a quilt can mean to someone and why.
Charity Naim, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center and member of the Crossroads Quilt Guild located in Perry, Georgia, donated 12 quilts for the Veteran hospice residents over the holiday season. Sadly, these honorable Veterans may have seen their last Thanksgiving, New Year, and the holidays in between.
“Approximately 100 members are part of our guild and we’ve been donating quilts to the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center’s homeless program for the last seven years,” Naim said. “This donation was a bit different as we had slightly more quilts than hospice residents, so it felt like the best place to donate them for the holiday season.”
With 11 hospice residents receiving quilts, that meant there was one left over. At the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center located in scenic Dublin, Georgia, nothing goes to waste.
“Charity informed me that one of her quilts was perfect for a baby. I immediately thought of one of our homeless Veterans who is participating in our Maternity Care Program and due to deliver any day now,” said Primary Care Social Worker for Women’s Health Tammie Campbell. “We have so many Veterans with children who need assistance, and the quilt is the proverbial cherry on top of the items we pack up and provide to them year-round, but especially during our annual baby shower which will be in April.”
Quilts, and other similar objects, tend to have a deeper meaning that other gifts may not have. According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology and adapted from the late British psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, “transitional object,” explains “by extension any person or thing that provides security, emotional well-being, and a symbolic connection with a valued other.”
Our hospice Veteran heroes will transition from this world and their remains will be escorted by VA Police and the Dublin VAMC Honor Guard where the Veteran will be transported for funeral services. Some hospice Veterans are ready to pass on and others harbor a sense of natural fear, but if the quilts provide safety and security to help them face this moment with bravery, then all the time and effort put forth by the Crossroads Quilt Guild will have been well worth the effort. The quilts will be passed on to family members where memories will continue to be created and cherished.
If happiness is a warm blanket, then a handmade quilt crafted with love is truly a treasure.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce
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