by Barbara Aramowicz
Missouri, USA (via Perth Australia)
My sister and I were raised in a very creative home. My father was a celebrity baker who appeared on TV and made the most amazing cakes for charity and corporate events. As typical of the 50’s, our mother was a “stay-at-home mom.” Mom must have been at the top of the line when God was handing out talent. She is incredibly creative and resourceful; she sewed the majority of all of our clothes while we were growing up, plus dresses for First Communion, prom, and weddings. She created our dance costumes, as well as her own clothes. Mom could knit, crochet, quilt, paint, frame – anything she put her hand to. Thankfully, these wonderful talents have been passed down to her two daughters.
In 2003, my sister Ruth’s granddaughter got old enough to play with Barbie Dolls, and Ruth began crocheting Barbie Doll dresses. She used a hair band for the waist, and added row on row until a beautiful gown was ready. Soon, friends asked Ruth to make Barbie Doll dresses for their granddaughters, too. As word of mouth spread, Ruth realized there were a lot of little girls who loved the Barbie Doll dresses. Each dress took approximately an hour to create, and no two were alike. She loved to see the look on the little ones’ faces as their eyes lit up when they received a dress. Their smiles were her favorite reward.
When this journey first started, she gave each girl two dresses—one to keep for themselves, and another to share with a friend. She was teaching the children valuable lessons about friendship, generosity, and sharing. Soon Ruth started taking the dresses with her wherever she went—shopping, church, dining out, traveling, etc., and began offering them to strangers. She brought some to Australia and gave some to relatives in New Zealand, so I guess you could say that they have been spread throughout the world. Dresses and dolls have been donated to schools, hospitals, bazaars, etc. As well as blessing children with a gift, she also wants them to learn about “stranger danger.” Ruth is careful that every child she approaches has an adult with them and they have permission to accept the gift.
Until now this has all been about girls, so you may be wondering about the boys. So that brothers are not left out, Ruth has also made trousers for Ken dolls, and keeps other small toys on hand for the boys, such as stickers, glow-in-the-dark snakes, frogs, various insects, etc. She also crochets hats, bedspreads, and other items for friends, especially those in nursing homes. I am so proud of my sister. Her kind, generous, and loving handmade gifts have blessed people of all ages. Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that can make a big difference to a person.
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Between events at a church retreat, I was walking on the grounds when I came upon a woman sitting on a bench under a tree, crocheting a pair of slippers. “Who are you making those for?” I asked.
“They’re for you,” she said matter-of-factly.
“For me? But you don’t even know me,” I said.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said, taking the finished slippers off the needles and handing them to me.
I have larger than average feet, and was surprised that the slippers appeared to be the right size. “Thank you!” I said, as the woman put away her things and got up to walk away.
Another woman standing near-by told me, “She does that all the time. Starts making a pair of slippers and gives them to the first person who stops and asks about them.”
That was more than 30 years ago and I still have those slippers.
The best gift came with the Barbie doll dresses: the lesson in generosity. “One for you, and one to give to your friend.”