Veteran's Day Virtual Sewing Circle

Join me for a virtual sewing circle in honor of our Veterans. Since 2004 I have worked with over a thousand people to stitch the names of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens who have died in the war, onto cloth coffins. Prayer Banner: MERCY, pictured above, is the second in series of  Prayer Banners. These memorials provide an embodied experience for communal bereavement of the losses we suffer individually and as a society due to war.

Even though the war in Iraq is supposedly over, deadly emotional ramifications continue to persist. Take a closer look at the project pictured below by artist Sebastian Errazuriz, via designboom.

It is startling to realize that in 2009 more soldiers killed themselves than were killed in active combat in Iraq. This fact was powerfully brought to my attention again as I listed to an interview on Fresh Air, earlier this week about Treating Vets For PTSD.

Join the Virtual Sewing Circle

Help me stitch the names of the fallen in Iraq for Prayer Banner: MERCY. To participate post a comment below and I will email you for your mailing address in order to send five names, along with the blank cloth coffins, thread, and a return-addressed envelope.

Stitching these names on your own or with your family and friends over Thanksgiving will provide an opportunity to compassionately connect with the families and the veterans who continue to struggle with the lingering devastation of war.