"Our veterans died for the red, white and blue; let's let them rest in peace under it also"
Tuesday before our kabob fest Mom and I took a few hours to help First Lady of Oregon Corrine Bush with her First Lady's Project: "Passing shrouds for our honored veterans".
Many, if not all, of you know that Jake and Dad are members of Lyon Lodge #29 Ancient Free & Accepted Masons (AF&AM). In addition to his duties at his own lodge, Dad is also District Deputy for District 12, serving under Most Worshipful Grand Master Art Bush. As the wife of the Grand Master, the First Lady gets to pick a philanthropic project to support. It was a great pleasure and honor to help participate in Corrine's project. As explained by Corrine these shrouds are "to be placed over the bodies of our veterans who pass in our VA Hospital in Portland or any hospital for that matter."
Corrine dreamed up this project after her husband took a tour of our local VA Hospital and realized that the bodies of those that have passed to the Great Architect On High were covered with a sheet, often times not even large enough to cover the entire body. It only seemed fitting to Art and Corrine that these heroes, these men and women who served for you and I, rest under the same colors they served for. It was at that time that Corrine put the call out to any and all that wished to donate fabric and materials to create shrouds to cover our vets, just as a shroud was used to cover Jesus' body. Corrine's desire is that there be some sort of red, white and blue (in any design or shape) on the front of the shroud while the back be any fabric at all. I think it's safe to say that Corrine has been overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of donations, both big and small, to her First Lady's Project.
While helping on Tuesday, and listening to Corrine relate her stories of those that have donated (she placed an add in the local paper months ago and still continues to receive donations and such), I realized that her project is doing more than just creating shrouds for our passed vets. A women battling cancer, not at all associated with Masons, is spending her time making shrouds which allows her a few priceless hours, even minutes, to escape the horrors of her current reality. While looking around the room on Tuesday at the women sorting fabric, creating shrouds, cutting strips and such I realized that Corrine's project was creating a time for us to get together, talk, gossip and hang out. Had we not had the project to gather us, the camaraderie would not have happened. All of this, and so much more, coming from Corrine's project.
So while the shrouds will physically be used to cover our honored passed, emotionally they are providing more than can be calculated. It was such an honor to help First Lady Corrine with her project. I couldn't help but walk away filling fulfilled at the great things her project is doing for more than just our honored veterans. First Lady Corrine Bush, I tip my hat to you! Thank you for the opportunity to help give back.
Here Nana I want to share my granola with you
Look at all this fabric - and there's more where this came from
Grandpa's just melting away
Mommy trying to show you all of the boxes of fabric
Quit goofing off Mommy and get back to work
A sample of one of the shrouds - most of them aren't as 'fancy' as this one. The ones that I assembled are some combo of red, white and blue fabric on the front. To say I used my creative license while putting them together is an understatement!
All that hard work makes Grandpa hungry - so hungry he's GROWLING FOR FOOD
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