Frustrated by the growing list of soldiers dying in the war in Iraq, Anne Landre, 52, of Milwaukee, Wis., decided to pay tribute to growing list of female causalities by stitching each woman's name into a fiber art project.
As the list of fallen soldiers grew, Anne launched the Mother's Day Project and enlisted the help of volunteers, each stitching a single name on a swatch to be returned to her. Anne's plan is to take the names and incorporate them into a traveling tote bag that the stitchers will each get a chance to use as they go about their lives for a week or so. The response was so overwhelming that Anne got enough volunteers to make two tote bags. (http://www.craftsanity.com)
I just finished stitching my name: Jakia Sheree Cannon. I do not know her and will never get to meet her, but she has given me a gift today. As I finally sat down to stitch her name, I was very aware that I was doing it only because I made the commitment to participate in the project. But as my fingers moved slowly back and forth, I had this silent wave of grief move through my body. As Anne so aptly states, “war is personal.” Some mom lost her daughter, and I am stitching her name…
The grief made me ever so aware of the interconnectedness of humanity –my grief for this child got all mixed up with the grief that was hiding down in my heart. And once I landed there, I also found compassion and mercy and understanding. The sitting still with Jakia’s name and needle and thread was meditative and healing… I found a part of myself that gets lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Thanks Anne for this opportunity to be a part of the healing.
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