There is no such thing as a magic blanket.

But blankets can definitely be magic.

A friend of mine has a father who is going through a really rough time. He has been in and out of the hospital and is currently going through a stint in rehab (the physical therapy kind). He hopes to be able to go home at the end of the week.

This friend is one I made during the first week of college. She and two other friends spread across the globe have a group chat and are in close contact with each other. We share our victories and our concerns. We share our hearts. Other than a brief hiatus, this chat has been going on for nearly 20 years. We see each other rarely, but we message about big things and small things.

I was scrolling through Facebook one day and saw a crochet pattern called the Healing Stitches Afghan by the Crochet Crowd.

Done.

I might not be able to be there in person for my friend, but in addition to praying I could make her dad a blanket.

So G.O.D. (Good Old Dad, as my friend refers to him), this one’s for you.

This blanket has no healing powers. It is not a talisman or a quick fix, but it does contain comfort and prayers—prayers said as I stitched that G.O.D. would be healed by God.

The designer of this blanket said that as they made it, it healed them of loneliness and depression. I’ve definitely felt that before as crochet has often been a good way out of anxiety.

I hope this blanket will be full of comforting magic for G.O.D. And that he will eventually feel healed.