She’s one of our local church leaders, and like all of them, a volunteer.

She had been asked to help with local veterans.

They needed to feel cared about and the weather is cooling, she said to me, and she wanted to know if there were any other knitters or crocheters in our ward besides the three of us she knew about? Would it be do-able to ask us to knit hats or scarves for each of them?

I did not know at all how many people she was asking about nor over how large a geographical area. It might well be that she wasn’t sure yet herself.

I told her the story of someone announcing in the women’s meeting years ago that maybe I could knit everybody a scarf?

My first reaction had been a horrified thought of, You have no idea what you’re asking!

But somehow…it sank in. I could at least do some.

There was no kind nor reasonable place to stop once I’d started, but I didn’t say that–and I did love watching people’s faces light up.

That is how, I told my friend, I spent 10-15, sometimes 20 hours a week on those. For eighteen months. I didn’t get everybody because some people moved out before they could find out they were supposed to get one, but, that’s the kind of time we’re talking about. About ten hours for a cowl, about five for a hat. (If they’re nothing particularly complicated, but I didn’t say that.)

She said something in there about making blankets and I told her my current one takes about two hours an inch to do (again, that’s the simpler sections, but her eyes were big enough–my point was made.)

Okay, then. Wow. She’d had no idea it would take that much time.

Maybe we could tie quilts? I asked.

An old friend back visiting for the first time in twenty years grabbed my attention for a hug and we left it at To Be Continued.