The best kind of sleep beneath heaven above
is under a quilt, handmade with love...
Yesterday I received a beautiful surprise in the mail
from a friend of the family. Her name is Jamie Rodriquez
and I met this amazing woman in 1992 in Puerto Rico.
She was and still is my moms very good friend.
In 1993 under very sad circumstances we met again in
Puerto Rico. My first husband, Paul Michael Riley had
just died in California. I flew to PR to be with my parents,
and sisters, and to also scatter Paul’s ashes in the ocean.
Once again Jamie was there. I thought I was
having a rough time until I heard Jamie’s story.
She’s a military “brat” but being a woman at that time in the
army was not easy. Let’s just say Jamie faced the hardest
times in the military but at the same time excelled.
I learnt that Jamie was also a cancer survivor. Not only
has she survived and overcome cancer several times but
hers is an ongoing battle. She’s in remission and then
it comes back. Then the fight for her life begins all
over again. Jamie has been doing this ever since
I met her and it started way before that.
Yesterday's beautiful surprise was a quilt made by
Jamie just for me. When she found out I was battling
breast cancer she started making me this quilt.
It is the most beautiful gift, made with love and so
much caring. I love it and I must have done something right
in my life to have someone as special as Jamie in it.
These quilts take months to make. Mine did and so
did the one she made for my sister Rima. Jamie spends her
free time and her military pension making quilts and donating
it to charities. She donates mainly to law enforcement.
Each and every quilt made by her is unique and beautiful.
In it she puts all her love, compassion and time only to make
sure someone just like me feels loved and special.
Courage is grace under pressure = Jamie...
~Nadiya~
