Yes, I’ve taken more than a hiatus from writing. Letting the stress of the world around me get in the way. But, fortunately, my Trailblaze family hasn’t let it take complete control. During this quarantine, I’ve watched one fellow Trailblazer after enough complete extraordinary challenges, on their own, to continue the fundraising for Wishes. You see while the trail is still there, our group hikes and regular fundraising opportunities aren’t. And kids are waiting for their Wish. Many Wishes have been postponed due to the pandemic, and fewer dollars are coming in for the Wishes to come. You would think we’d take a break from fundraising. After all, fundraising is not always the most comfortable thing to do. Asking people for money is no easy task. But, it pales in comparison to what our Wish families go on. So what do we do? We go on solo hiking challenges with no aid stations. Push ourselves to the limit to make Wishes come true. And no one more fiercely than our fearless leaders, Jody and Michelle. So when I finished Michelle’s square, it was a natural fit to move on to her partner in crime.
Trouble is, I had a lot of trouble with Jody’s square. I looked and looked at patterns. This looks too frilly. Too plain. Too busy. You name it, and I seemed to have a reason why not to choose a pattern. And then I finally found one. I even purchased it. Only to realize it just didn’t feel right. How could I even try to capture Jody in a square? And then I realized–I should just listen to Jody. And I mean literally listen!
You see, we start out every training hike with the “why” of our mission. Jody updates us on the Wishes that have been granted since we were last together. He updates us on upcoming Wishes that have been funded. He shares information about Wishes yet to be funded. And he gives us a personal story that reminds us why we hike for Wishes. Usually something unique about a particular Wish, or maybe even a thank you from a Wish family. Many of us are in tears before we actually step out on the trail. Tears that water the ground that we’re about to walk on. The ground that offers the opportunity to make those Wishes come true.
But, every Trailblazer knows that there is one thing that you must do for Jody before you step foot on trail. You must gather together–usually in a spot that requires a little extra hiking :)–and take a picture together. The first picture is a “regular” one. The second one is always preceded by the following statement from Jody, “Raise your hand if you like to make Wishes come true.”
Not gonna lie. The first time or two, it seemed a little cheesy. But by about the fourth training hike, it became an important part of the journey for me. Getting together and reminding not only ourselves, but everyone who would see the picture, the reason why we hike. Before we got on the trail. Before the hard hills, falls, scrapes, and bruises. An important reminder.
And I’ve missed it so much during this pandemic. I’ve missed those words and those pictures, even though I usually try to sneak to the back for the picture part. Fortunately, I didn’t have to miss it for long.
You see, no one seems to have their finger on the pulse of the Trailblaze Challenge quite like Jody. He’s not just an important leader for our hiking and training. He’s also attuned to the emotions of the family. When you’re struggling, he can sense it. When you’re elated, he celebrates with you. And he must have realized how much our family really missed that picture. Hands raised. All for the same reason. And so he starting posting that phrase again. Even though it wasn’t in person, he put it back out there. And we have been soaking it up.
As I’ve been seeing these messages from Jody … seeing fellow Trailbazers complete amazing feats, on our own or with little help … and seeing that phrase “if you like to make Wishes come true,” I realized that I should just listen to Jody. It’s usually a good idea when you’re own trail. Unless he says “one more hill.” But Jody is all about our mission, and our mission is Wishes. So, I tried to listen. And I just kept coming back to that phrase, “if you like to make Wishes come true.” That’s Jody.
So, I through away the idea of a pattern. I pieced together patterns from different places to make the central symbol of Make-A-Wish. A star. I just couldn’t think of anything better to present Jody in this quilt. Because Jody is Make-A-Wish. He exudes the mission. He shares the mission. He is the mission. And so a star just seemed fitting.
I included all of the colors because Jody’s love for the Wish has led to blue shirts, purple shirts, green shirts, black shirts, red shirts, and even one yellow shirt. We are his family. And I’m thankful that when I look at this square, the first thing that comes to my mind is “Raise your hand if you like to make Wishes come true.”
