Share A Square Afghan Project “Morphing” Into A Different Project?

I’ve had several folks asking me lately if we were going to continue making afghans for children with cancer. Some of you may be aware that there was a project going on here called Share A Square. For over a year, folks from all over the world sent crocheted squares to my house, so we could make 140 afghans for children who would attend Camp Sanguinity Summer Camp (associated with Cooks Children’s Medical Center).

I’ve been working trying to transfer all of the pictures that I took of the squares to my Flickr site, and if you’d like to browse them, just click the badge below.

We delivered those afghans in July, and that day was one of the most awe inspiring days I’ve ever experienced. By using the internet, so many lives were touched. Not just for the kids who received the afghans, but the people who got the opportunity to give. It just leaves me speechless to think about it.

It also leaves me speechless to see how many squares I still have! I’m busily putting them into afghans for the children who were too sick or too young to attend the camp (but I’ve got the help of several of my volunteers as I go…thank you, ladies). I’ve got 27 here ready to deliver, and I’ve been working on three different ones this week (danged ADD).

Y’all, continuing the program is something I would dearly love to do, but there are two reasons that it isn’t likely. First, if the Good Lord is willing, many of the campers who attend Camp Sanguinity next summer will be repeat business (which means that they already have an afghan). Second, I just can’t coordinate it. I’ve got to really work. I’ve been whining about the effect of the economy on the storytelling business, but it is picking up slightly. It’s going to require a lot more of my time to make that happen, because I’m having to actively search for the work for the first time in years.

I’m also pretty crazy right now trying to downsize and de-clutter our life. To keep myself motivated, I’m sporadically blogging about the de-cluttering and organization tips I’m learning on another site called Out of Chaos. When I say that “I’m dragging my husband kicking and screaming every step of the way,” I mean it. But, simplifying our lifestyle isn’t easy for me either! We are both packrats, and it’s hard to change our habits.

If I am really downsizing, then I can hardly justify devoting a room of my house to afghans. Share A Square took a whole room and then some!

But, some other thoughts are swirling in my head. I’m considering getting some help making “medicine bags.” I’m talking about bags of a size that could be used as a necklace (that wouldn’t take a whole room, would it?). Into each bag, I’m thinking of putting three good luck tokens from anyone who wants to donate (no one would donate more than three items). Three is a “magic number” in the folktales that I tell, so that seems appropriate.

What kind of “good luck tokens?” In my medicine bag, I have a St. Christopher medal, a “lucky coin,” a tiny origami crane, a very small shark’s tooth and many other things. Maybe, I could have people write a note to go with their tokens? I’m just “thinking out loud” here. If you have any thoughts, please pass them on. I learned the first time around that input from lots of different people is helpful.

I’ll think about it some more, and by the time I get those closets painted, I’ll have an idea of what I want to do. Tell me what you think, and check back next week.

Other posts you might enjoy:

1. Good Medicine Project Update
2. Not Just For Grannies
3. Behind The Scenes Of The Good Medicine Project
4. The Good Medicine Project. Gifts For Children With Cancer.
5. Only The Good Friday #4