The hearts that came during my recovery from cancer and treatment literally "gave me heart" — an American saying from my childhood that means "made my heart feel good" come true — when I really needed it. So, I put 25 of them in small paper bags and gave them to the 8 people who were standing with me at our town intersection every Wednesday — for now 8 years without missing a single Wednesday — to distribute as they wished.
Those hearts in bags went to:
- A Presbyterian Church
- Highland Farms, an elder retirement community
- A Unitarian Church Men's group
- A doctor's office
- Individual gifts to a women's group meeting
- Random gifting
- Two men's groups
In that first box I gave out the rest over a month to everyone who came into our local drug store whose staff is especially kind and helpful. I stood for an hour, talked to each person about kindness and hearts stitched by Indian women, heard their stories of kindness, and gave them hearts to give away if they wanted. Most took at least one to give away.
Since it was near Valentine's Day, I made a Valentine for each person at my Cancer Radiation Clinic and Cancer Doctor's office, gave it to them, and gave extra hearts to those who wanted to give some away to family and friends — 30 people in all.
I gave hearts to all the staff of our local discount grocery store where food-challenged people shop for food at discount. I stood in the store and handed out hearts to those who asked and talked about women in India feeding those who are hungry and about women who stitched love into the hearts they had sent me. Smiles spread all over the store.
I sent 40 hearts to a friend in Oregon who was leading a retreat for women stepping into elder roles in their communities. They wore the hearts during four days as they dedicated themselves to spreading wisdom and love in their communities.
I sent hearts to a wedding in Ohio whose bride and groom had been loyal Wednesday LOVE people. Every guest had a heart to wear at the ceremony.
A bag of hearts went to a group protecting a North Carolina National Forest — showing love for our Mother Earth.
My whole family received hearts with a LOVE note thanking them for their support and encouragement during my illness and recovery.
With the second box of hearts that appeared by "magic" again, I spent a day in Asheville, a neighboring small city, randomly handing out hearts to everyone with whom I came in contact — smiling and giving a heart "just for love" and in honor of those who stitched hearts with loving hands so far away. I had so much fun and gratitude that whole day. Never had anyone refuse the heart, and many took away an extra to give away.
A cupcake shop in our town put a heart in every box of cupcakes he sold one day.
Every town employee got a thank you note from our LOVE group and a heart.
My daughter took a number of hearts to her small city to give away and in one instance ended up helping a woman who was crying because she needed help with a really large personal problem. My daughter is still helping her walk through her problem and has found her to be a friend.
My eye doctor's office patients for two hours all received hearts, smiles and laughter.
Our town garden center customers handed out hearts for a day.
Twenty hearts accompanied a friend of mine to a THREAD ceremony for her Indian/American "grandchildren," two young boys, and their guests. The boys' names are Arnov and Akash, and their pictures have every guest and their family wearing magenta hearts stitched in their home country.
Countless hearts accompany me wherever I go.
The next hearts will be given out on May 23rd in the middle of town where our LOVE group stands every Wednesday — in a town gathering for Mental Health that will take place from 10–3, featuring resources for good mental health, celebrating life-giving organizations, with water games for children, and a festival celebrating loving contributors to mental health. We will give out your hearts to all who want to wear one or take one away for someone.
If any are left, we are giving a several-day teaching around LOVE in our local elementary school and hope to expand that conversation around LOVE STORIES to other local schools. Those who participate will have a beautiful heart to wear and words to explain what it means in their lives.
I wanted to share where the beautifully stitched hearts have traveled and are radiating the love stitched into them by women halfway across the world. Everyone loves the story of women stitching love into the hearts as they share them with us. I want to thank all who have participated in providing these small, powerful symbols of our interconnectedness and compassionate actions in honor of one another. I personally feel my heart grow with each and every gifted heart.
Thank you, everyone involved in this chain of loving connections, for your part. A gift toward my recovery from dis-ease is spreading to relieve the "dis-ease" anywhere they land.
With Large LOVE,
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥