This little mini sampler has been on quite the journey! It is home.
Just a tad over 3 years ago my mom passed away. She had been battling Alzheimer's and so many of you rode right alongside me as her disease progressed. You encouraged me so much in so many ways.
I remember distinctly the video I made and shared with you all the day we laid my mom to rest.
Every Friday I would take her to get her hair "done" and I'd put my radio on the oldie western music. Just this past week the video of her singing in the car came up in memories on Instagram.
After my mom died, an online friend, Roxanne, made me a mini block a month for a year- her way of supporting me.
You can read the blog post HERE at the end of 12 months. I sent her back the blocks to make into a quilt. As it happened her mom was diagnosed with Alzheimers and while she put this quilt together and quilted it, it gave her much needed healing from her mother passing away.
I am pretty speechless about how special this quilt is and how I treasure Roxanne's friendship.
Isn't is beautiful?
Here is the beautiful backing too.
Thank you again Roxanne, and for all the others who supported me during that time.
What a sweet and thoughtful thing to do. Quilters are the best! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of how quilting friends help one another!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely little quilt and a wonderful story
ReplyDeleteSo special for SO many reasons -- I lost my mom to Alzheimer's, too.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet & caring of Roxanne.. it's a gorgeous little sampler quilt :))
ReplyDeleteGorgeous little treasure full of friendship memories. The back is almost as gorgeous as the front. Awesome work girls. ;^)
ReplyDeleteWhat a kind and beautiful thing for Roxanne to do. The quilt, like her friendship, is beautiful.
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What a beautiful treasure from a very sweet friend. :)
ReplyDeleteReading this, gave me goosebumps! What a treasure you have- both the quilt and your sweet, sweet friend. So many times, after the initial loss, people go away and life goes on. But, your friend stayed the course for a whole year. And then worked through her own grief as she kept you close. She let you know in a tangible way, that she grieved with you and supported you in your journey. Now that is a keeper! :) Hugs.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful thoughtful sharing this is. Something about the heart in hand makes it extra special.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is a beautiful treasure, made even more so by the special
ReplyDeletelove and friendship stitched into every block. Friends like this are the gold in every quilter's life.
what a wonderful friendship quilt! love the backing. Quilters are the best
ReplyDeletea beautiful cherished momento for sure...
ReplyDeleteQuilters are wonderful and Roxanne is a talented quilter full of kindness....
ReplyDeleteThis quilt is so special and beautiful !
This was such an inspiring post. Both of our mothers are gone and with the Lord. I am 72 and wonder sometimes if I have the early stages of alzheimers. Two sentences you said in your link really popped out to me. One was that your mom had made many mistakes in the past, but had forgotten them and you had decided to forget them too. Really a profound statement. And the other was about making today good, can't undo the mistakes The Lord is speaking thru you. Thank you for your wonderful blog
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute. I lost my father to Alzheimers in 2001. It is such a horrible disease, to see an able body lose everything. Become something you know he never was. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him. Written with tears in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI loved making this quilt for you, Lori! Cyndi W’s comments above were so good and I’m sending her hugs, as well as others who share some of their story. When you wrote that you were forgetting the mistakes your Mom made, I remember the change in my heart. What a powerful feeling and a path forward in loving my Mom more and healing myself. Keep sharing those words, my friend. ❤️
ReplyDeleteWhat a precious gift--and a healing journey for her, as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd tomorrow I get to take my Mom to her hair appointment. It is a Wednesday thing for us, with a stop for an ice cream cone on the way home--vanilla only for Mom. She says the other flavors have too much stuff in them. :)
Thank you for sharing these intimate thoughts with us, helping us grieve and get over the past as well. Regarding Alzheimer's : Grampa and Gramma went to live with his oldest son when they discovered she had the beginnings of "old-timers". They had slept in twin beds in their home so did the same at their new location. One day Gramma went out to Auntie and asked kind of secretively, worriedly, "Who IS that man in my bedroom?" Grampa heard, and it really broke his heart, he loved her so much and she had forgotten him. Just because they may be having a bad day doesn't mean that deep down somewhere YOU are there with them and that part of them still loves you too.
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