"Secret Tears"
This quilt was made while I took my journey to survival
with Breast Cancer.
Using the song SMILE said everything I needed to do to
keep going and not give up.
My journey began with very little chance of survival;
double mastectomy; double tram-flap reconstruction; and heavy doses of
chemotherapy. I hid from the world as it passed me by. I wouldn’t
allow anyone to see me cry while I hid behind closed doors to cry my
“secret tears”; only to reappear again with a smile so no one else
would see or feel my pain.
When
I designed and made this quilt… I reached into the deepest part of my
heart. I searched hard for the right words to convey how I felt.
I asked myself… what are the secrets to survival, when your emotions
run rampant in your mind? I certainly don’t know how to draw
very well… and I wondered how I was going to put all my feelings into
a magnificent work of art. How was I going to let others know
that I too felt in my heart what you are feeling now? How could
I give them comfort…even if it was for a small moment? How could
I put my
arms around them and say… I know what
you’re feeling!!!
So I reached into my pockets…pulled out a hand full of
stars!!! I blew them gently in the air…. And this is how they fell.
The glittery stardust filled the room and within my heart… I made this
quilt of love and hope for you!
There is a special secret in the quilt. It is to let
you know that, in time, with each phase of survival you go through,
your tears will become less and your strengths will become MORE.
Notice the little round faces as you go through the
quilt.
4 tears - no smile - no hair
3 tears - very little smile - peach fuzz
2 tears
- half smile - more hair
1 tear - smile - more hair
NO tears - huge smile -
lots of hair and sparkle
This lets you know that… with passion to survive… no
matter what…your smiles will get you through! And it’s okay to have
your own secret tears.
I hope that you find comfort and encouragement, and
above all, you will find your hidden secret that will make you SMILE!
After all . . . that’s what survival is all about!
- Joanne
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