As I sat under a bright harvest moon letting my mind wander over October things, inspiration struck in the most surprising of places. I was curled up by the fake fire with a blanket on my lap and it got me thinking, I have been gifted with an awful lot of blankets over the years and I won't share all of them with you, but there are a handful that do merit special mention.
One blanket in particular found its way to me via an anonymous donor. I walked into the church office to pick something up and there on the desk was a blanket in my favorite colors with my name on it. I hadn't asked for it and I certainly wasn't expecting it, but there it was nonetheless. As of late I have been using it through the summer months and into fall as a covering for my bed and it literally gives me the warm fuzzies as it snuggles me to sleep at night. I never did find out who my blanket fairy godmother was, but I am grateful for her gift.
Next in line are two blankets that were handmade for me. One came with a pillow and had a pattern full of penguins frolicking on it. I break it out in the winter months and think fondly of the hands that made it. The other blanket was a surprise and not a surprise. I got to hear all about it being made, never knowing that it was for me. I was a little jealous when the blanket was finished and it was shipped off. I thought, how lucky that person is to be getting something so lovely. So imagine my surprise when it showed up on my doorstep. It is an October blanket through and through and I most definitely use it all through fall, though it also sits in my room and reminds me of the love and care that are being radiated my way. It has comforted me through some dark days and I cherish it. Truth be told I treasure both blankets and the hands that made them, as well as the friendships that they represent.
Another bevvy of blankets found their way to me after we had our house fire Halloween eve a few years ago. Having a fire is never a good thing, but having one around the holidays can be particularly depressing. There are so many things you take for granted about your life until you don't have them anymore. Blankets were in short supply and once again, a surprise blanket fairy visited us. We received 3 from family heirlooms from friends, 2 more were made for us while I watched, another was purchased on a surprise shopping trip and one survived the fire that had sentimental value and was rush cleaned so that we could use it. Like the blankets mentioned before, I also treasure these coverings. They came from the heart no matter if they were store bought, homemade or given. Each time I use them I am covered in love. I think about someone taking the time to pick them out for us and I am humbled.
Which brings me to my final blanket. The blanket that has taught me to love all the others. If I had to pick a special blanket it would probably be this one. It doesn't stand out in any particular way. It is pretty but not showy. It wasn't homemade, but that doesn't make it any less special. I like this blanket above the others oddly enough because it taught me humility. It reminds me to be thankful and gracious in all circumstances and to realize that appearances can be deceiving.
I got this blanket at my college graduation from a friend. She was more than a friend, she was almost like family. She was my secretary in student government and she looked after me like I was her own kid. I wasn't running a fortune 500 company, but she took her job seriously and was my watchdog. She safeguarded my time from others, made me stop for lunch breaks and scolded me when I burned the midnight oil. We laughed, we joked, we worked hard.
On the day of graduation, after it was over I will milling around like graduates are prone to do, hugging and congratulating, taking pictures, scurrying here and there. My mother caught up with me and mentioned that my secretary wanted to see me. We made our way over and once together we hugged and congratulated each other. She handed me a package and I tore into it. Inside was my blanket. As I mentioned, it was a nice blanket, but nothing that on first glance would make one stop and exclaim about its beauty. As excited as she was to give it I thought it must be something more. So I took the blanket out and shook it a little, seeing if there was something in it. There wasn't. I looked it over a bit puzzled and said thanks. I meant those thanks. I wasn't being sarcastic or dismissive. It was a blanket. A nice blanket, but a blanket nonetheless. I could see she was a little hurt that I wasn't jumping up and down over the blanket so I mustered up a little extra enthusiasm gave her a hug and told her that it was a nice blanket and thank you for thinking of me.
We said more congratulations, took more pictures, said our goodbyes and I handed the blanket over to my mother and we all went our separate ways. It wasn't that I wasn't grateful for the gift, I was, but it was just a blanket. Awful, of me I know. Anyway, the day went on, there were graduation parties to go to, more family events to attend and a weekends worth of activities engage in. I totally forgot about the blanket.
It seems after I had so obliviously handed it off, my mom had tracked the secretary down and apologized. Her feelings were more hurt than I had noticed in all my post graduation excitement, but my mom hadn't. The blanket wasn't just some cheap store purchase (though there would be NOTHING wrong if it had been). It was a blanket from her hometown and since they were homemade they cost a bit more than regular blankets. She had though about getting me this blanket all year and had saved up for it. She told my mom that she couldn't wait to give it to me and then thoughtless me had totally rained on her parade.
I wish I could say the story has a happy ending. In a way it does, but more in the vein of a lesson learned. Mom tried to find me after the girl told her all this so that I could make amends, but by the time she found me again, the girl had left. I wrote her an apology and sincerely thanked her for the gift later that week after mom had told me what happened. I truly was sorry, I still am, but I never heard back. I actually haven't heard from her since. I still troll the internet every now and then hoping to find her, but quite some time has passed. She could have moved, gotten married, been forced into witness protection, joined a new age collective and changed her name to Rainbow for all I can find out. I would like to tell her how much this blanket has come to mean to me. How it has changed how I see other gifts that I am given. But it seems I might not get that chance.
I was careless with someone else's feelings. I didn't give my full attention to the moment and didn't see a treasure for what it was. I wasn't as grateful as I should have been. I was still polite but far to self absorbed. I still feel guilty about it. But that said, we can't always see the treasure for what it is. Sometimes a blanket is really just a blanket. It isn't always picked out with care and attention, but how are we to know?
Since then I have tried to cultivate a better attitude of gratitude. I don't always succeed. I have a terrible time writing thank you's in a timely manner, but now it's because I want to take the time to properly convey my thanks, rather than forgetfulness. (still, I should speed it up some) I try to be gracious and present in the moment. I also try to see past the surface to what might be a treasure. Again, sometimes a blanket is just a blanket. But sometimes it is so much more.
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