The Gift of Gratitude Created with Passion & Donated Fabrics

 Maxmilian William Loeffler  

 

 

As the youngest of four brothers and sisters I grew up feeling a part of everyone’s success and failures. I was floating on waiting for some right of passage to hit me. It did not occur to me that I would be walking up to the plate until recently. Rather than allowing something to simply happen to me I made a decision to make a difference for myself and for others by taking my own initiative. I developed an idea that I had been carrying around with me my whole life and turned it into a reality.

 

As I have grown I have watched people connect themselves to objects, numbers, colors and teams that they carry with them for life. We hold tight to these things because they provide a sense of security and happiness. My sister always had her doll whose face had worn away by her side. I have come to understand the value and necessity behind these pieces of security, hope and strength that we allow to become a part of us.

 

Through the years I have watched medical professionals take care of my sister who has a genetic condition called Achondroplasia. I began volunteering at our local hospital between football practices and school. I realized after each volunteer shift that I felt positive and optimistic. I began carefully observing human behavior and interactions in this place and was intrigued by the gratitude I received and witnessed from patients. I researched the subject of gratitude and became fascinated by it’s importance to professionals in positive psychology research. I learned that doctors were actually conducting studies on the concept of gratitude and results showed that the impacts of gratitude are strongly associated with greater happiness. I learned first hand that gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions. It also allows people to appreciate good experiences, boost their health, and cope with hardship. Gratitude is expressed in different ways because people can apply it to the past by remembering positive memories, apply it to the present by not taking successes for granted, and apply it to the future carrying a hopeful and positive attitude.

 

I was interested in capturing this feeling and sharing it with others. I thought those that could benefit the most from the impact of gratitude were the people I interacted with in the hospital. It was with these people in mind that I began my imaginative process. I created a sketch, printed the pattern on fabric, learned simple stitching and stuffed this snuggly doll that would have no face. I created a faceless doll to imitate the doll my sister carries and I believe that without a face it can be the object of anyone’s imagination. I approached the hospital in my hometown and presented my idea to the President with the intent to donate a single doll to every patient. I was welcomed with enthusiasm and materials to make this idea entirely possible. I am currently working with a team to hand make over 300 dolls, which we will personally deliver to every patient in the hospital. My ambition is that this inspires those that receive the gift of gratitude to keep it alive and pass it on, as I will.