A Nouwen Network’s  Comfort Cushion Project 

& Helen’s Cards

“In March 2012 A Nouwen Network realized a long held dream when it began the Comfort Cushion project as yet another means of connecting and offering support. The Comfort Cushion project is a ministry of tenderness and prayer. The Comfort Cushion is 20 cm x 20 cm (8’’ x 8’’) with a pocket into the back to hold a small card with a prayer and/or A Nouwen Network prayer card. 

The cushion expresses something of the prayer and care that we long to give to those who are very unwell, and those who are most isolated:

When possible we give a Comfort Cushion to people who are inpatients of psychiatric wards and community care units. However, as hospital beds are hard to secure, and many who are very unwell are treated as outpatients, we also give these cushions to people who are at home. Those who live alone or in hostels are a priority, but pain and loneliness can be savage despite the companionship of a loving family. Our Comfort Cushions are being gifted wherever a network member feels the Spirit prompts them to take one. At times this outreach extends to a family member of a person with a mental health issue. Many suffer greatly when their loved ones are hospitalized, unwell, or out of contact with them. They are often exhausted and feel quite alone. The generosity of a small number of prayerful craft persons has allowed us to gift cushions at a steady rate. The embroidery on many cushions has been of a very high standard but this is not a benchmark for participation. Every cushion is unique, and the recipient is prayed for as it is made. They have all been very beautiful. We need diversity – cushions for young people, and cushions that will appeal to men as well as women. Some stunning cushions have been made using applique rather than lots of embroidery. There are many fabrics available that have restful, comforting images on them that are great appliqued onto the front panel of a little cushion. (We had no trouble finding homes for some that had images of cats, birds, farms and seascapes stitched onto them. Cushions with some bright geometric shapes went quickly also).”

2018:  In the past five and a half years hundreds of 20 cm x 20 cm cushions, each with a beautiful little handmade card, have been gifted to people who suffer due to mental health issues affecting their life. They have gone to hospitals, hostels, and nursing homes. They have gone to the homes of family members, workmates, and friends. Many have been gifted to parents and carers. Several cushions have been sent interstate, and I believe a few are now overseas. The cushions have been gifted to men and women across the age span. Several were ‘custom made’ so that they had a favourite image on them. Countless people have contributed to this project and we are very grateful to all of them. However it would not have been possible to sustain the sheer volume of the project without the inspiration, embroidery skills, and prayer-driven energy of Marilyn B., the quiet dedication of Helen R. our talented card maker, and the creativity and prodigious sewing efforts of my sister Juliet F. We offer these three a special thank you for the countless hours that each of them has given to the Comfort Cushion project.

When A Nouwen Network began in 2009, new research had just been published that showed that only a few people sent cards and gifts to friends and family suffering with mental health problems. As with much of what we have done in the past eight years, the Comfort Cushion project intentionally modelled a way to reach out tangibly to people when they were not well. Now (in 2018), there are several companies that make thoughtful and supportive Get Well cards for friends, family and colleagues affected by mental illness. Hand made greeting cards are now easier to obtain, and some find that using these can help to say “I actually care”. It is not unusual now to read articles that offer a list of gift ideas for people with chronic and mental illnesses. Over the past five years awareness around this issue has changed for the better and so we have decided that A Nouwen Network will not continue the Comfort Cushion project into 2018. We still have a number of cushions that we will be able to give away, (and we will continue to welcome any donations of new cushions that individuals may wish to make), but we will not be operating this as a ‘project’ any longer. If anyone is interested in the Comfort Cushion pattern it is simple, and it is available from our website.

Helen’s beautiful little handmade cards were originally made to be gifted with the Comfort Cushions. They were very soon sought after in their own right! 

 They became so strongly associated with A Nouwen Network’s activities that in 2015 they were incorporated into a new ‘logo’.

This Flannel Flower image was used on the printed materials from June 2011 -

Helen’s Cards were circulated from 2013 

The ‘logo’ used from November 2013 -

The ‘logo’ used for A Nouwen Network from September 2015 -

NOTHING CONTAINED ON THE WEBSITE IS INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE, NOR SHOULD IT BE CONSIDERED, MEDICAL ADVICE 

OR TO SERVE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.