Ripples

Most often when I send Tiny Pals out into the big, wide world I never know where they end up or with whom. I mail them off with the deep belief that they will find exactly the person who needs them. Once in a while I hear from the finder or the recipient and it fills me with indescribable joy. I thought I’d share one of those with you today and tell you about one of my favorite people.

See the charming little quilt that the gnome is standing on? Years ago a wildly kind follower and friend named Melissa created special tiny quilts to accompany the tiny buddies on their journeys. Her work is exquisite and her heart is enormous. This photo, with the quilt, the gnome, the adorable kitty in the background, lights up my insides and reminds me that everything we do creates ripples, most of which we may never see.

What strikes me about Melissa is that she is a true artist; a professional quilter who spends hours and hours and weeks and weeks creating stunning artwork with textiles, and she took the time to design each gnome sized quilt, choose the fabric, precisely cut each block, stitch the blocks together, press the seams, assemble the rows of blocks, press the seams again, trim all the edges, sandwich the batting between the top and bottom, baste those layers together, stitch the design into the layers, bind all of the edges, press the whole thing, and then ship them off across the country to me. All those steps! Because her heart asked her to. What an enormous gift! I’m still overwhelmed and humbled when I think of her kindness.

Somewhere in the world, that little poppy gnome and their quilt belong to a stranger who found it out in the wild and was reminded that their presence in the world matters. The person who requested and placed that gnome had the giddy fun of placing it anonymously in just the right spot. Melissa got to feel the joy of using her incredible gift to add a special element to this project. And Me? I got the honor of seeing it all come together.

When I say things to you like “You matter so very much. The world is a better place because you’re here,” I truly mean it. My gratitude for all of you, whether you request a gnome, find a gnome, add your own special touch, or are a silent supporter, is immeasurable. Your actions make ripples every day.

Thank you for being here. If you’d like to get involved with this itty bitty non profit with a great big impact, I would love to chat with you. You can leave a comment here or email me at undercoverkindnessgnomes@gmail.com.

Whatever you’re up to today, I hope your day is full of sunshine and laughter and maybe sprinkles. Sprinkles make everything more fun.

i super heart you.