Project Linus and the Schmusedecke

Portrait of Linus by the brilliant Charles M. Schultz from www.peanuts.com

The term "security blanket" originated from the Peanuts strip, which insurance companies - including MetLife, whom Peanuts became the spokescartoon for - use to describe complete coverage.

About 2 years ago my friend Gaby and her two and a half year old son Skye came to live with me as she worked through the apocalypse ending of her marriage. Three people, two rooms, one bed, and one of us was in diapers. It was, to say the least.. jolly. Patience was tested, as well as gravity, the boundaries of friendship were fully explored, revised, and eventually cemented in place with whopping doses of love and understanding. And occasionally a hard-boiled egg. Friendships are complicated stuff, no doubt.

They did not have much in the way of baggage but Skye brought along his Schmusedecke- a faded pale blue-white acrylic blanket decorated with a lamb having a friendly chat with a ladybug at the bottom. Schmusedecke means cuddle blanket- but I bet you guessed that. Skye had pretty much outgrown carrying the Schmusedecke every where, but he would not enter his stroller without it and there was no sleeping at nap time or night time without it. The crying was heart wrenching- it never felt like he was petulant or angry- just scared and wept as if his best friend had been lost. I was always ready to seek the Schmusedecke- no one should go anywhere without their best friend close by.

Last night Gaby brought Skye's overnight bag back from his father's house. Some how in the exchange of weekend clothes and child the Schmusedecke wound up in the bag and Skye would spend the weekend without it. Gab explained that now, he had gotten used to being- sans decke... and sometimes would substitute Mommy's or Daddy's blanket for his own beloved blanket. She sat with the blanket over her lap and showed me the edges where they were unravelling- and the bleach marks where blue went to white- the hole in the lamb- Skye says the blanket is "growing" there as his mother does when his toes poke through his socks. She pointed out the corner- or where the corner once was- it was just two raw ends and the bit that stuck off the end that Skye would rub between his fingers as he drifted to sleep. I cannot imagine what Gaby feels- the combination of joy at his growth and the saying goodbye to that phase of babyhood and his dear friend.

While I was away in Vermont I noticed a patch sewn on the World Wildlife Fund tote bag of Carol Driscoll, and I asked her about it. (It was so nice to have time to notice things- here at home everything goes by at warp speed and I don't see so well at a distance to begin with...) It was a picture of Linus from the Peanuts cartoon strip and the patch read "Project Linus Blanketeer". Carol told me about Project Linus. Project Linus is a non-profit organization that provides children living in hospitals, cancer treatment facilities, clinics, homeless shelters, hospices, and behavioral clinics with homemade blankets and afghans made by volunteers. It turns out that Project Linus has been around since 1998 and has chapters in all 50 states. They have created and donated over a million blankets to help children who feel not so safe sleep a bit better. You can check out their website and find a chapter near you at www.projectlinus.org. You do not have to sew- I use staplers and duct tape more than thread and needle to hold stuff together. (I do not recommend this for assembling a blanket!) Remember the things that comfort you- and do what you can. No one should have to go to the scary places without a good friend- or a Schmusedecke.