Blankies

As I write this, Rhianwen is curled up in her crib, snuggled under a pink quilt that has little pictures of sheep and moons all over it. Each little picture has the words "Off to sheep I go" wrapped around it. With each nap and bedtime, she specifically asks for her sheep blankie.

It is her newest blankie - she's had it about a week now. It was given to us in the Emergency Room when we took her in for her stomach virus. The nurse explained that it was from Project Linus - a non-profit organization that makes blankets to provide comfort to kids who need it. A little tag attached to it showed that the blanket was made by volunteers on the staff at one of the local elementary schools.

Rhi instantly fell in love with the blanket - at a time when she was feeling bad and was scared, she knew she had my husband and I there, but she had the added comfort of a soft, cozy blankie. The nurse had told us that the blanket was ours to keep - which is good since as we were getting ready to leave, Rhi insisted it come with us anyway.

I know I can be a sentimental sap, so it isn't surprising that when thinking about that blankie I get tears in my eyes. In so many ways it provided comfort not only to Rhi, but to myself as well - comfort in knowing that there are people who will give of themselves to help comfort kids.