The story is heart-wrenching and courageous. It is told as if you were sitting in the garden with these women and listening to their life stories told over copious cups of tea. You feel a kinship with them, though many of us would never be called to have the courage to do what they have done with their lives. Their stories are told in sections, early childhood and marriage, with each woman offering her own tales. But, the main portion of the book is about An Keuning-Tichelaar, who is 83 and has many more rich experiences than Lynn Kaplanian-Buller, who is in her mid-50s. These women find each other because of these quilts that were sent as relief supplies after the liberation, made by American Mennonite women. (Dutch households weren't used to these thinner quilts, since they slept under woolen blankets or feather comforters.) Lynn wants to buy one, but An says they aren't hers to sell, but she will give her one. This response leads Lynn into deep conversations with the older woman.

     Thus, Passing on the Comfort was born. It is rich with pictures of the war years and personal photographs that both women contributed to the book. There are also many pictures of the quilts placed throughout the pages of text. There is even a detailed description of each quilt pattern and how each individual quilt was finished.

    Passing on the Comfort is a moving read.