It has been over a year now since my daughter Ruth died. I was touched by the people who remembered; my dear friend Marie Louise, my son Tony, and surprisingly, a former sister in law. My husband gave me a remembrance charm that I had engraved “no tears today.” The phrase is a nod to the sticker that Ruth put on her piano keyboard more than 20 years ago, and a reminder of my beautiful optimistic child who lived through so many traumas but who never gave up hope that things could get better. Sadness has always been a part of me, but now it feels as if it has made a home; there is no fighting it anymore.
I continue to sew, not as much as I should or could but more than enough. The three quilts I made for my husband’s three children are finished, labeled, boxed and ready for him to give them at any time. My mother’s quilt is back from the longarm and ready to bind and label. My mother sewed beautifully all her life and made most of my clothing when I was young, but only started quilting later in life. She made her own templates and pieced her quilt tops all by hand and gave several of them away after they were quilted -- all of them to men in the family except for the one she made for my daughter. Sewing became more difficult as her dementia progressed, and this is the last quilt top she made. It was packed away in a box and I decided this year that it was time to finish it while I still can. I am hoping that one of her great grandchildren will treasure it as a family heirloom.
The first one (of two) picnic quilts is finished and ready for use. The second one is done and ready to be quilted; I want my daughter in law to have a choice so I am waiting for the second one to be done before I show them to her. I finished a simple horse-themed quilt top as a gift for the woman who cuts my hair and will have that quilted soon. And I am making progress on the two “mystery quilts” that I have committed to make.
Spring is (surely) right around the corner, but there is still snow on the ground and it is still cold, below freezing much of the time. It is (past) time for me to do some serious spring cleaning so that I will be ready to let the sunshine in!
