Summary

Tim Maudlin shares a heartfelt story about receiving a comforting, handmade quilt from the "Home Sewn Love Quilters" following his father's passing, which serves as a tangible reminder of his blessings and the support of friends during difficult times.

Abstract

In the article titled "Count Your Blessings: One Stitch at a Time," Tim Maudlin recounts the touching gesture of several friends who crafted a personalized quilt to uplift him after his father's death. The quilt, made from over 40 t-shirts, symbolizes the love and encouragement he received from his community. Maudlin emphasizes the importance of counting one's blessings as a means to cope with loss and hardship. He reflects on the kindness shown to him and his family and encourages readers to adopt a similar mindset of gratitude, which can shift focus from sorrow to happier memories. The quilt now hangs in his office, serving as a daily reminder of his friends' thoughtfulness and the power of community support.

Opinions

Tim acknowledges the difficulty of surprising him due to his observant nature but expresses genuine astonishment and appreciation for the quilt he received.
He is deeply moved by the time and effort the "Home Sewn Love Quilters" invested in creating the quilt, which includes meaningful t-shirt designs that usually serve as his own medium for encouraging others.
Tim believes that counting blessings, especially during tough times, is a practical strategy for emotional rebound and resilience.
The quilt is not just a physical item but a representation of the care and love from his friends, which continues to inspire him.
He suggests that reflecting on positive aspects and acts of kindness can help alter one's perspective from sadness to gratitude.
Tim uses his personal experience to motivate others to find solace and strength in their own blessings, reinforcing his message through his platform at DoWhatYouCanNow.com.

GRATITUDE | FRIENDSHIPS | INSPIRATION

Count Your Blessings: One Stitch at a Time?

How dear friends comforted me following my Dad’s passing.

I’m still speechless when I think about the care and the love that went into making this special gift.

Count Your Blessings: One Stitch at a Time? The Daily Doable — S1:E13

Welcome to the lightly edited transcript of the video. You’ll find the video below.

Hi, this is Tim with DoWhatYouCanNow.com. I encourage people to do what they can, where they are, with what they have.

Today I’d like to share a story with you about some people who did what they could to encourage me after my father’s passing.

When I reflect back on that time, there were so many people who did so many kind and loving things to not only comfort myself but my family. We were overwhelmed and continue to be appreciative of all those acts of kindness that were shown to us.

What I’m discovering as I go through this process, this road to rebound as I’m calling it is that there are different things that are helping me to rebound from this loss. And the story today that I want to share with you is one of those things. It happened several weeks after the funeral.

Those people who know me know that I’m a difficult person to surprise. I’m not sure why. I guess I notice things and I typically anticipate things and so it’s hard for people to surprise me. I know it frustrates my wife. But several weeks after the funeral, I received a box in the mail and I had no idea what it was. It was a small box, but I opened it and as I pulled out the contents I couldn’t believe what was inside. Because there was this large quilt that you see behind me and I just kept unfolding it and unfolding it and I was speechless!

There were several friends of mine, several ladies that are part of a group called Home Sewn Love Quilters. And they had taken the time to make this quilt that you see behind me and I’m trying to stay off to the side so you can see it. Well, I was blown away, not only for the fact that they had taken the time to not only make this but send it to me. But if you look close, this isn’t your normal quilt. This quilt is front and back and there are over 40 t-shirts represented on this quilt.

I couldn’t believe that they would take the time to do this and then assemble all these t-shirts that I’ve done as a way to encourage me. Typically, I’m the one encouraging people with my t-shirts and here it’s coming back to me in the form of a quilt. And it’s just really cool and I’m still speechless when I think about the care and the love that went into making this.

That road to rebound can be difficult. But the Daily Doable I want to leave with you today is that when you find yourself in difficult times like this, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the death of a parent. But when you find yourself in something difficult, one way to rebound from that tragedy is to take the time to count your blessings.

This quilt hangs up in my office behind me. So every time I look at it, I count my blessings and think about the ladies who cared enough about me to make it, to encourage me.

I hope this story has inspired you to count your blessings because that will get you on a mindset that will take you away from those things that are sad and make you reflect on things that are happier.

So until next time, this is Tim with DoWhatYouCanNow.com encouraging you to count your blessings. Thanks!

Here’s the video.

If you enjoyed this story, may I suggest a different kind of blessing that I’m thankful for, Thankful for a BROKEN Sledgehammer?

Thankful for a BROKEN Sledgehammer? The Daily Doable — S1:E10

How a broken sledgehammer reminded me of a valuable life lesson?

medium.com

I’m Storyteller, T-Shirt Designer, and Quilt Lover, Tim Maudlin. Please allow me to introduce myself.

Hi Neighbor!

Greetings from Tim Maudlin, your neighbor in Indiana.

medium.com

This story was originally published on my site at DoWhatYouCanNow.com