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  2020-04-16

  A Quilter's Masks in a Church Garden

  My friend Diane, who lives on my street in Washington Heights, Manhattan, is a quilter. I met her at her Lutheran church, a beautiful old stone building on our street, with a vegetable garden on one side. I’m Jewish, but the church has arts events, and we met that way. When I read that quilting cotton is the best material for homemade masks, I asked Diane if she could make two for me because I have asthma, which puts me at high risk for Covid complications. She said yes immediately because she was already making masks, and she invited me to the church garden, where I could retrieve them from a bench without getting close to her. The next day, with spring in all its glory, I found her sitting there with a mask on. With my face covered as well, I stood across the garden and had the first face-to-face conversation I’d had with anyone in several weeks, which was such a relief. And Diane said that because of her quilting, “I felt called to make masks.” With her generosity and those six words, what a surprise and consolation: Life in its richness had blossomed again, under the sun and flowering trees. Thank you, Diane.