QUILTS

We are a quilt-loving family.  My Granny loved to sew and we have an abundance of them. 

No really…

 This is my formal dining room armoire where normal people would store fine china…

I keep a stash of a dozen or so quilts here for easy access on family television night. 

(There are only four of us, mind you.) 

 

But seriously…upstairs, downstairs, in practically every room and on every bed, you will find quilts.  We are a “comfy-casual” family and it is common to see a child walking around the house with a quilt slung over their shoulders, wrapping themselves in softness. 

Actually, now that I think about it, we may have a slight obsession with quilts.

Don’t tell me your bookshelves aren't crammed with another 10 quilts.  It’s normal, right?  What is better than grabbing a book and a quilt (or three) and snuggling down somewhere cozy for a nice long read?

 

I love the texture and patterns of quilts.  Some in my collection have scraps of material that I recognize from outfits my granny sewed for us grandkids (all four of us girls until a decade after my birth brought about her first and only grandson).  Holding a quilt is like looking back in time and remembering my childhood.  I like to rub my fingers across the seams.  Some were hand quilted by my beloved Granny and many were machine sewn (or the quilting was hired out as she became too old to see well and arthritis began to cripple her hands).  Each quilt holds special memories for me.  My Granny was one of my confidants in life.  She knew more truths about my life than most.  We shared long talks and several secrets.  She loved me unconditionally and I loved her deeply.  She was ornery and she had a wonderful sense of humor.  I miss her and think of her often.  She passed away last year while I was with Tim in Houston preparing for radiation treatments.  I wasn’t able to be with her when she left this earth, but I know she knew the depths of my love and respect for her.  And now, as I curl up in one of the quilts, knowing that her hands have touched and created each seam…I feel comfort.   

This is me with Granny.

Last Christmas, there was a very real possibility that my husband would not be celebrating with us.  I desperately wanted our children to have gifts from their father under the tree.  Not just a gift “tagged” from him, but something more personal.  Something they could physically cling to in the years to come.  And so, typical to my nature, I began planning ahead, sorting through Tim’s closet last summer and pulling shirts that had special memories or meanings to us.  I delivered these shirts to my mom and asked her to make them into a quilt for each of the kids.

And on Christmas morning, I was blessed beyond measure to witness these exchanges between our precious children and my amazing husband.

 

A quilt is not unlike an overview of a time period in our lives.  As we look back over the years past we can see God’s faithful hand meticulously sewing each piece of cloth together.  Some pieces are scraps from someone else’s discarded pile and some are beautiful and vibrant selections of cloth, but all of the pieces are necessary and come together to make an amazing story that, when we allow it, will provide peace and comfort. 

God is always at work in our lives. 

He uses our past and our present to prepare us for our future.  He places special people in our lives to help us navigate the difficult times and celebrate the good seasons with.  In this analogy, I view God as the sewer, carefully selecting each cloth to bind together.  I view Jesus as the threads that hold each cloth tightly to one another.  And I view the individual strips of cloth as friends, family and experiences that have shaped us into who we each are today. 

What a beautiful quilted story my life has been because God chose to join me together with my parents and siblings and eventually my husband and own children.  And what a blessing each and every friend (new and old) has been as they have surrounded and supported us during these past 20 months.  God promises to make beauty from ashes, and I dare say that He already has begun the process.  He is good and I am blessed.