She Lived. . . Stitch by Stitch. . .
Written by Miriam Bradley
Last night I was exhausted; mentally, emotionally, and physically. Wednesdays are always difficult for me since I worked the previous two nights, but despite extra sleep yesterday afternoon I was pretty pitiful. So, I put myself to bed. I snuggled under my Grandma quilt and drifted off to sleep.
Today is the 98th anniversary of the day my Grandma Jones was born. This marks the first birthday we won’t be celebrating with her. She is celebrating it in heaven and I don’t regret that. I miss her. A lot. But, I know she was ready in every sense of the word and I’m thankful she is there.
However, I couldn’t help but think of the impact she had on the lives of so many people in this world. She wasn’t famous. She wasn’t rich. She wasn’t a huge success by today’s standards. Yet, in every way that really counts she was famous, rich, and successful. And she did it stitch by stitch.
You see, my Grandma was a wife, mother, grandma, sister, friend, and daughter. She took her relationships and responsibilities seriously. One way she showed her care was by providing for her family. She made quilts. Lots of quilts. When her children were at home she made quilts to keep them warm. They weren’t for show, although she loved to make them beautiful. As her family expanded, so did her quilt making.
For each new grandchild she made a baby quilt. There were 23. For each grandchild’s high-school graduation she made a tie-quilt. There were 23. Then she went on to make each of us a quilt for a double bed. When she came to a wedding, she brought a quilt and Grandpa brought money. A few years ago, when it became apparent even to her that she wouldn’t be able to keep her house much longer, she gave out the quilts to those who weren’t yet married. I put mine away for a while but then decided I wanted to use it, married or not.
Since getting married I have kept the quilt folded at the bottom of my bed. When I am cold I pull it up. I can see different pieces of material in it that I recognize. They were the remnants of things Grandma made for us when we were younger. I know that Grandma put a lot of love into each of the quilts she made, just like she put a lot of love into each of our lives. She wasn’t a woman of many words. She wasn’t managerial. She was just a woman who loved her family and provided for them.
Even though I don’t have children I can learn a lot from her. I need to use the talents I have to provide for and bless those God puts in my life. That’s all He asks. I don’t need to do it all at once, either. I can do it like my Grandma, stitch by stitch, over a life-time.
