“You Are Loved” is a project that I started in 2013 to process my grief after the death of my beloved grandmother, Nanny. She taught me to crochet when I was a child and throughout my life I have turned to the craft in times of unrest. I crochet these colorful hearts as a gift to family, friends, strangers: anyone who might need a little reminder that they are loved by someone in this world. I’ve left them in random public places like doctor’s offices, grocery stores and nursing homes, always with the hope that someone’s day will be brightened by their discovery. On a few occasions I have made the hearts in honor of specific people and hung them in places that meant something special to their loved one, such as the hearts that I left throughout Paris in 2018. It’s a project that brings me great joy and continues on in Nanny’s honor all these years later.
At some point in life, we all will go through the painful stages of grief and the joyful remembrance and celebration of our loved ones’ lives. It does not matter how or if you pray, who you voted for, how much money is in your bank account or where you call home; we are all going through so much on any given day. I believe this is what unifies us in our humanity and that if we can seek out these shared experiences instead of focusing on what divides us, then I believe that the highest power of LOVE is doing its job and is winning.