Have you ever had an online friend or blogger disappear and wonder what happened? We’ve recently had a couple long time HeartStrings members lose touch. We learned that one had passed away after another member found an obituary and the other we’re praying is OK. We started a contact list with a family member or friend’s email that we could use if we were unable to reach someone. There are those more casual members that may choose not to provide a contact but there are a bunch of us that have been participating for years – some since Dec 2006 – and we’d notice and worry if someone went missing. I feel better knowing I could reach out to the family and check on someone if we stopped hearing from them.
And along with organizing that list, I have some other “instructions” for Keith and Chris if something were to happen to me unexpectedly. One of the things I like about WordPress is that I have the ability to email a blog post. I asked Chris to try and post to the blog just to make sure that he was able to post without me adding him as a blog author and as you see, he was able to email a short post and photo. So, I don’t need to worry about leaving you guys hanging if something were to happen to me. Of course, now that he knows how to post … some unplanned content might show up now and then!
I don’t belong to local groups but there is a quilt group I donated quilts through last year and I’ll continue to “use” them for that and there is a knitting group too. I’ll leave contact information for Keith and Chris for them too and they can grab what they want of my fabric and yarn stash in the event I haven’t used it all up by the time I die. Yeah, like that could ever happen!
And I’ve also told Keith that he’d need to send all my finished tops to one of my HeartStrings friends so she could quilt and donate them. Last night I was counting my unfinished projects and I’m very pleased to say of the 26 unfinished projects, all but 2 are finished tops. One is the Friendship Star I’m working on now and the other is my oldest UFO from 2009. A hand pieced apple core quilt. I work really hard these days to get my projects to the finished top stage and not put them away in pieces.
Anyway, just a little food for thought about advance planning.
You are SEW organized, Mary!!
Mary,
I heard from Tish last week. She sent me 2 boxes of backings. Part of her not being extremely visible was because her sister passed away. She was aware or son and Wayne’s mother passed away in the spring. So she’s reading, even if she’s not writing.
Thought you would like to know.
Glad you are trying to keep us all in touch. Hope things are ok with you too.
Kathy
On Friday, August 20, 2021, Making Scrap Quilts from Stash wrote:
> Mary posted: ” Have you ever had an online friend or blogger disappear and > wonder what happened? We’ve recently had a couple long time HeartStrings > members lose touch. We learned that one had passed away after another > member found an obituary and the other we’re prayin” >
I told my children who are both involved with various charities to give every thing to charity including machines.
I’ve been following you for quite a while and may be one of those who follows but is quiet . I admire your
thoughtfulness and donations to many .
I’m slow but I enjoy the ride!
These are such wise thoughts. Thanks for the nudge. I did recently write a note listing the bare minimum of instructions about my textiles. Now I hope someone WILK find it!!
Once again a thoughtful and very helpful post. I’ve got plans for my stash and sewing stuff but I haven’t figured out the how to let people know part.
Yes, posting my wishes in plain sight would be a good idea. We have a joke around here about my filing system. My husband printed a huge note and attached it to something: DO NOT FILE!!!
A friend had told our group of 12 people that since none of her family quilted, she wanted us to share her stash if she died. She didn’t make this clear to her husband. All her sewing supplies were taken by non quilters. None of us are needy, but felt it was sad that her wishes weren’t fulfilled.
I also think it is very important and I have made my wishes known to my husband but I need to type it out and add it to my will. My husband has a hard time remembering anything other than his schedule so I need to get that done. We have talked about his wishes and he has pretty much left it up to me. My son who is currently in critical condition with Covid has learned that lesson. Luckily he has been able to give his wife some important information but he might be needing a ventilator soon and then he will not be able to communicate. A very sad a devastating situation for everyone!! Best to be prepared no matter what your age.
UmmmmmRest assured I pray you live to see each grand baby marry n have babies!!!!I really enjoy finding u again after loosing u in email hack Thank u for update
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That’s a very good idea. Awhile back a friend I rarely see e-mailed me to say, “thank you for your friendship.” A few weeks later, I got an e-mail from someone saying this friend had passed away. from what, I don’t know. We do worry when we suddenly don’t hear from long time friends.
Dear Mary: I hope you are healthy. About advance planning… wow my next door neighbor of 38 years just moved to Florida and we helped her pack and go through things and she had to decide what to keep, take, give away and sell. What a big job. It made my Husband and I think of all the “stuff” we have and what are we going to do with it. I said it seems the one who dies first wins. The one left is left with a lot to deal with loss, stuff and bills. It is amazing what you find when you go through Stuff. Again I hope you are well. One of my Girlfriends did pictures of the family for each of her 3 girls , made 3 copies and gave a set to each, She had each one put a sticker on the back of each piece of furniture and that was taken care of. It sounds like you have a very good plan. Stay healthy please. You are a dear and special for sharing all you do. Thank you so much.
I was just thinking about this topic… Years ago when I had a knee operation, I had my daughter access my blog to do her own posts from Ohio and that worked out well. I wonder if she still knows how to do that… I know my husband wouldn’t know and most of my friends who know my family aren’t in the blogging world. Quilts my husband knows to dole out and recently I have a young quilting friend whom I assume he would give all my fabric and supplies to. Something to think about!