Didn’t we all learn about Cooperation and Sharing in Kindergarten? They were the fundamental principles for being civilized little humans in a group situation! It wasn’t until years later that I understood that those values were not just a good way to be and to get along in life, but that they bestowed power and strength and influence that far surpassed what I alone could command. Woman learn this early, I think. Being part of the pep club meant that you were not one squeaky little voice warbling, “go team…” into a vast stadium, but you were part of a big noise! Joining a babysitting co-op gave you freedom, organizing a potluck dinner created a feast. Being a part of an organization that raises money for scholarships that sends thousands of deserving kids to college is so satisfying–I couldn’t do that on my own.

And consider the quilting bee… Have you ever made a bed-sized quilt? It takes months. Literally. Maybe years, if you are slow and reluctant. But 10 women, working together, can knock out a complete quilt in several afternoon sessions. Did you think quilting bees were purely social? My great-grandmother, and her Methodist Quilting Bee, sent hundreds of quilts off to missionaries, to survivors of natural disasters and wars, to the cold and weary and anyone in need of comfort. Today’s equivalents of quilting bees are making masks for health workers in much the same spirit, sharing patterns and materials and information.

I am thinking of all these things as I ponder how to respond to our “Cooperation and Sharing” prompt, colored, as it is, by the world we find ourselves in. I am staying at home, taking refuge in my studio–some days heartened by stories of sharing and cooperation, some days appalled at the lack of same. Will those Kindergarten lessons sustain us? Will we gather, finally, and together, stitch our ragged and worn world community back into a proper quilt?

Waiting for answers.

Peace, love and good health to all…