CNY Inspirations: Quilts are gifts of heart and hand

This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard, Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Many of us have quilts we treasure, pieced together with fabric from our family’s history, or made for us at significant moments of our lives, such as weddings, births, and baptisms. But quilts may also be used to tell a broader and more significant story.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt, for example, weighing an estimated 54 tons, contains approximately 50,000 panels, each one commemorating a life cut short by AIDS. “Quilts of Valor” are handmade quilts awarded to veterans or service members who have been affected by the pain and grief of war, literally wrapping them in healing and hope.
“Prayer Quilts,” either full-size or handkerchief-sized to fit in a pocket or purse, are handmade quilts pieced together while those who make them pray for health, comfort, or other blessings for the quilt recipient. These quilts carry messages of remembrance, gratitude, and healing, from hand to hand, from heart to heart.
The Rev. Suzi Harriff is a pastoral partner at Mission Hope Community in Camillus.