"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Cor. 13:12
Making the quilt reinforced what I already know; life's not always bitter and not always sweet, but a mixture of both. The pieces of fabric lying on my floor are a fragmented picture of the final product and God I hope it looks like a quilt, but only time will tell. The problem with the project is that we don't know how to quilt and now I see that Miss Sassy thinks it's just a blanket, but it's not. It's more like sandwich made with 150 parts and it's easier if you know what you're doing. Since we don't, all we can do is push forward in hope.
She started this project because last year, a teacher inspired her. This teacher, Sue, and her class made a quilt but each student made just one block and Sue joined it together. I admired Miss Sassy's ambition even though I knew she didn't fully understand and I agreed to support her because it was "hard stuff". After several blowouts and delays we finally got a rhythm going and her attitude drastically improved when we decided to work as a team. When a technique was too difficult for her to grasp, she stepped in and took on my work around the house until she could start again. We learned to accept one another's different work styles. I gave in to her sewing with the Ipod earbuds blasting but not with the phone because you really CANNOT quilt and text at the same time. She got used to my constant instruction and demand for respect and learned to not bite the hand that fed her. Our side-by-side conversations were enlightening and we laughed a lot, and together, yelled at our pets. The dog and cat were quilt captivated and, after repeatedly rolling around on it, almost lost their lives in the process.
Midway through the endeavor we got a call from my mom who was on her way to my aunt's house. My 98 year old grandmother lives with her and my mom was going to help care for her over the weekend. My aunt's brother-in-law had passed away suddenly. He'd gone swimming at the hotel during a visit to meet his newborn grandchild. When he didn't come back, his wife went to check on him and found him alone, face down in the pool. I had to ask my aunt, "Did he get to see the baby?" "Yes, they had a wonderful visit and took tons of pictures with grandpa." Sweet.
When we were almost finished, I got a message on my phone from a friend. She was calling to tell me about our friend, and Miss Sassy's teacher, Sue. She wondered if I'd heard the news. My heart sunk. Sue's daughter, pregnant with her second child, died during childbirth. We'd visited Sue just weeks before and she was beaming - waiting to leave to help her daughter with the new baby. Bitter. Did the baby survive? "Yes, the baby is fine."
Just days before I'd whined and complained about the time I had to spend on the quilt. My daughter's project, but my precious time. And God reminds me that life unravels in a moment, and any time I can spend with people I love is sweet.
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