Gifts that Bring Comfort and Light

There aren’t not too many things worse than having a child in the hospital.  Ron sells woodworking machinery, and a few months ago, one of his customers told him his daughter was in ICU at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City with complications from E.coli. 

Ron came home and told me about it, and wondered if I could think of something we could do for them.  My first thought when it comes to comforting a child is for them to have something to snuggle with and hold on to, like a stuffed animal.  The other thing that comes to mind is a warm blanket.  

We spent many days through the years at Primary Children’s Hospital with our daughter Errin after we adopted her from Romania.  I remember all too well, the fear in her eyes each time she had to go in for testing and procedures.  It seemed her favorite baby blanket and a well-loved stuffed bunny were the two things that always brought her comfort.  She is now married with two kids of her own, almost 30, and STILL sleeps with her baby blanket!!!  We teased her that Zach, her husband, would think that was strange - until we discovered that he too STILL sleeps with his baby blanket!!! ☺  They were definitely meant for each other!

Blankets and stuffed animals today are so much cozier and softer than ours were when we were little.  I love giving them as gifts.  So when Ron came home and asked what we could do, I knew immediately we needed to find out what this little girl’s favorite animal was, and her favorite color.  I love to put as much thought and research into gift giving as I can.  Not only does it show that we truly care, but it also helps to ensure that the gift will be loved, enjoyed, and well used.  Ron texted her dad and found out she LOVES elephants, and pink . . . what a fun combination right?!!!  

I immediately went to work and soon found the MOST perfect “Mary Meyer” elephant, and the most perfect slipper pink “Saranoni” - Lush style blanket.  I had hoped to find a pink elephant, but this one was soooooo adorable, it didn’t matter that he wasn’t pink.  I knew he would be soft and cuddly, as all “Mary Meyer” stuffed animals are.  These are my two favorite brands because they are well made, wash well, they are soft and stay soft . . . even after years of love and comfort!  I also love the “Jelly Cat” brand of stuffed animals – especially their tiny bunnies.  Each one of our grandkids has been carrying one of these around for almost three years now, and they are all still going strong!  “Minky Couture” brand of blankets are also very nice.  I put these particular gifts in one of my favorite “Natural Life” gift bags made from plastic recycled milk bottles, along with a couple coloring books and a set of “Crayola” Twistables – colored pencils.  When I have time, I personalize the gift with a laminated name tag clipped to the gift bag.  Sometimes I add a hand-made tassel to the name tag if it’s for a girl.  

It’s also important to match the size of the stuffed animal as well as the blanket to the size of the child.  If they are too big, it’s too difficult for them to use without help.  Both “Mary Meyer” and “Jelly Cat” stuffed animals come in a variety of sizes, as do the “Saranoni” and “Minky Couture” blankets.  When in doubt on the blanket size, I always go up a size instead of down – kids will grow into the bigger size quickly.  

“Minky Couture” is a Utah company and donates many blankets every day.  I’ve gone in seeking blankets on numerous occasions to give to friends and family who have lost a loved one.  It seems they always ask who you are getting the blanket for and why.  When they find out it’s for someone who has experienced a tragic or unexpected death, they have been so gracious to either give the blanket free of charge, or at a much reduced rate – and they have done this without me even asking them to do so.  I LOVE supporting companies who put people first!  This is what life’s all about!  

After many months in the hospital, I’m happy to say, this little girl is FINALLY back home.  She has a long road of recovery ahead, but is now finally able to really enjoy the gifts Ron and I dropped off at the hospital months ago.  It’s always nice to have HOPE, and FAITH in times like this.  And when it feels like the LIGHT is gone, it’s ok to borrow and accept LIGHT from others until we can make ours glow again.  The beautiful thing about LIGHT, is that it never goes away forever, it’s there if we just look to find it.  

We are so grateful prayers were answered, and that Heavenly Father blessed her to be able to stay here on earth.  Things don’t always turn out the way we want them to, but in the end, we are all God’s children, and our main goal and purpose in this life is to return to Him someday.  Some just get to graduate from this life a little early, they are the lucky ones.  It’s up to the rest of us who are still here to make the best of each and every day until we too are called Home.  Until then, may we all find ways to serve someone each day and share our LIGHT any way we can.  

Love Ya, Les ☺