Stitches and prayers for Izzy...

My dear friend, Molly, shared the news a few weeks ago that her daughter, Izzy, has a neuroblastoma on her kidney that has spread to her bone...stage 4 cancer.

Molly and I have been friends since we were 8 years old and although we've had times in our lives when our schedules and obligations get in the way of us talking or seeing each other often, there is still a connection that I feel to her...a sisterhood. If I think back to the most memorable moments in my life...she was there for almost all of them. Our friendship began on the swing set, my first day at a new school. We were friends throughout elementary school, junior high, and high school. We shared our boy crushes and many of the fashion trends, as awful as they were...yes, we pegged our pants, had high top tennis shoes and wore hypercolor t-shirts. She was the one who broke the news to me that bushy eye brows and tapered jeans weren't in style. We became believers about the same time and began our new lives as Christians, learning to rely on a God that loves us all the time. She stood up with me at my wedding and was one of the few people who was honest and said, "This is gonna be hard, but I'll support you (I have that written in a note that she gave me after I asked her to be my maid of honor). She was one of the first people, next to my husband, that I told about each one of my pregnancies and has prayed and supported me through difficult times and joyous times for many years. The news that I heard last week, however, is something that I wish she'd never had to share.

Izzy's diagnosis is heartbreaking, and beyond prayer, which I've committed to doing daily (sometimes hourly), I know there isn't a lot that I can do to provide the family comfort. Every little bit helps, however, and perhaps my embroidery machine and I can provide them a bit of financial support.

I love sewing and from the beginning, it has been a prayer time for me. I use the time in front of my machine to pray for the person receiving the gift that I'm making. In this case, I'm praying, incessantly, for Izzy and the Mattocks family. I am nowhere near making a business out of this hobby, however, do make a little bit of money selling these gifts. My contribution to the Mattocks family will be 100% of my sewing profits...until...I don't know when :)

If you'd like something, contact me. I can embroidery just about anything and can also do some small sewing projects as well...wall art, receiving blankets, burp clothes, etc. I have a few pictures on my Blessed Stitches page.

Also, please add the Mattocks family to your prayers.