I’ve written many times about the amazing online community of quilters and the powerful connections made across the world in this quilting blogosphere. While many times, this community helps us share inspiration and joy, sometimes that close-knit community must play another role: sharing sorrow and hope. Recently, Rachel from Stitched in Color, a fellow quilty blogger, had a much-anticipated baby. While typically the birth of a baby ignites much shared joy, this birth did not go well.  I frequent Rachel’s blog, but actually found out about the unexpected complications through Instagram before reading about it on her blog. Jodi from Tales of Cloth has organized a world-wide support for Rachel and her family, in the form of English Paper Pieced hexi flowers. You can read about her plan HERE, where she shares a tutorial on how to make an EPP hexi flower, and explains her plan of expressing all of our support and love. Needless to say, I dropped my to-do list, hugged my kids, and got started on a couple of flowers.

My plan is to make as many of these as I can by the end of the week (I’m aiming for 2-4) and mail them to Jodi in Australia on Saturday.

I am so grateful to Jodi for organizing this effort, since with such a devastating event, one can feel so hopeless. Yet, I fully believe in the power of prayer and positive intention. Call it what you will, but think about this: hundreds of people stitching hexi flowers with Eleni, Rachel, and the rest of their family in mind. Maybe praying, maybe crying, maybe just thinking the most positive, healing, hopeful thoughts they can muster. Each person putting his or her love, hope, prayer, and positive healing intention into every. single. stitch. THAT is powerful.

I’m stitching, praying, sending healing thoughts and energy, and hoping for a miracle. Miracles happen. Sometimes, they appear in very unexpected situations, and sometimes they may not seem like a miracle at first, but miracles happen. If nothing more, we can wrap Rachel and her family in a literal blanket of love with this quilt.

If you would like to join this effort of support, send Jodi a message to find out more information on where to send your flowers. There’s also an Auction for Eleni to raise money to help support the family. Or, you could just pray or send your healing and hopeful energy & intentions their way. Check out the hashtag #flowersforeleni on Instagram to see the flowers in progress so far. For me, I am taking moments throughout the day to pause, pray, and stitch, grateful for the opportunity to show my love, and always, always hoping for a miracle and peace for the family.

Read an update on Eleni here.

I’m linking up with Monday Makers, Design Wall, and Making Monday, since spreading the word never hurts!