So many wonderful events happened this year! My son was accepted into Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. My daughter was accepted to The College for Creative Studies and did wonderfully. I have been quilting more than I have in years. And all of that is over-shadowed by my Mom dying in November. Christmas is getting close and there are so many things we will not do this year because Mom was the center of them all.
We were unaware that she was sick since late Spring--she hid it from us and (we learned later) avoided getting together with us throughout the summer so we wouldn't know (and wouldn't worry!).
Early September was when we all realized something was seriously wrong, and I got the call from her that the doctor wanted her to go to the hospital, "would I take her?" I packed an overnight bag, drove to her place and spent most of that night checking her in, waiting for tests, laughing with her and getting her settled. More than a week went by before she went home. Less than 2 months later, with her children and grandson around her, circled in love, she died peacefully at home.
We cared for her and laughed with her and were strengthened by her: if someone was upset or wasn't coping well, she took their hand and talked with them, reassuring and soothing them. She knew what was imminent and was at peace with it and wanted us to be, too. She made sure we were okay.
My Mom was the strongest person I know.
We were unaware that she was sick since late Spring--she hid it from us and (we learned later) avoided getting together with us throughout the summer so we wouldn't know (and wouldn't worry!).
Early September was when we all realized something was seriously wrong, and I got the call from her that the doctor wanted her to go to the hospital, "would I take her?" I packed an overnight bag, drove to her place and spent most of that night checking her in, waiting for tests, laughing with her and getting her settled. More than a week went by before she went home. Less than 2 months later, with her children and grandson around her, circled in love, she died peacefully at home.
We cared for her and laughed with her and were strengthened by her: if someone was upset or wasn't coping well, she took their hand and talked with them, reassuring and soothing them. She knew what was imminent and was at peace with it and wanted us to be, too. She made sure we were okay.
My Mom was the strongest person I know.
For those 2 months I would put together a travel bag of hand-sewing to take with me to Mom's so I could keep busy while Mom slept or visited with friends or when we watched TV together. I got very little done, and every project I worked on is now, in my mind, a 'Mom Project.' All the Splendid Sampler blocks finished, the Halloween wall-hanging, the Tree Skirt, the Christmas Banner, they are part of her for me. And so much more special because of it!
I brought my Splendid Sampler binder one afternoon to show her all the blocks. Many are made from fabric I got from her family farm and her mother, my Grammy, so they have special meaning. We had so much fun looking through them & she picked out fabrics she remembered ("was that the curtains in the pantry on the farm?" or "Oh, that was my mother's apron!").
I had lost my interest in completing the year-long project and presented it to her as done. But she was my cheerleader, always, and she urged me to continue this to the end. She said, "I didn't know I had such a talented daughter! You should finish it. It will be worth it." And I found myself ready to continue. Just those few words from her and I didn't even think about it--I would keep at it.
I brought my Splendid Sampler binder one afternoon to show her all the blocks. Many are made from fabric I got from her family farm and her mother, my Grammy, so they have special meaning. We had so much fun looking through them & she picked out fabrics she remembered ("was that the curtains in the pantry on the farm?" or "Oh, that was my mother's apron!").
I had lost my interest in completing the year-long project and presented it to her as done. But she was my cheerleader, always, and she urged me to continue this to the end. She said, "I didn't know I had such a talented daughter! You should finish it. It will be worth it." And I found myself ready to continue. Just those few words from her and I didn't even think about it--I would keep at it.
And so, my Splendid Sampler grows! I have been slower at attempting the blocks, and thinking more about which fabrics to use because the meaning is so much greater now, but come February 2017 I will have completed all 100 blocks. And my Mom will be part of it. A very wonderful part of it.