I just finished two quilts and sent them off to be distributed to folks in need on the reservations in South Dakota. The process of making and sending has actually raised a lot of questions for me on how to balance resources vs. need and local vs. national/global.
I want to be engaged and make an impact but I keep running into my own limitations. Perhaps others have had the same struggle and might have some insight....
First, let's start with the fun stuff. I read navajo's diary on the need for propane on the reservations in South Dakota and desperately wanted to participate. Unfortunately, the money is just not there for me to donate. However, I am a fabric hoarder and I had two large bins full of jeans waiting to be cut up into quilts. (I haunt garage sales all summer and can often get lots of jeans by offering to take whatever doesn't go by the end of the sale.) Now, blankets aren't propane, but they're in the general category of "heat" and I was hoping they would help.
I did a baby quilt of flannel and a twin size quilt from jeans.
So the problems start creeping in when I question myself "why". Why am I making quilts for folks I don't know half-way across the country? Why am I not making quilts for people in my own state/county/town who are in need? Why am I making quilts at all?
Does making a quilt really address a need?
I want to join in with folks who are attending protests and get terribly anxious about being in a crowd. I want to help phone-bank for worthy candidates and seize up trying to talk on the phone. I want to donate money to a host of causes but need to deal with my underwater mortgage. How can I help change anything when I feel so limited?
With the protests in Wisconsin and across the country I see how powerful acts can be when done by many people. How can I find something that can be done by only one that makes any difference at all? And do I dare take any time or resources away from my family when the day-to-day is already challenging?
I care about too many issues and want to help in too many crises. How on earth do I prioritize the little I have to give?
How do you?