Momaw's Handiwork

My mom has been making quilts for over 20 years now. It started with small quilts for each grandchild, carefully choosing designs, colors, and fabrics that felt uniquely theirs. In 2004, she surprised all of us kids and our spouses with quilts at Christmas—a gift I'm sure we didn't fully appreciate at the time, not understanding the hours and heart she'd poured into every stitch. 

And now, by God's grace, she's still at it, making quilts for her great-grandchildren.

Her quilts are more than personal masterpieces or cloth kaleidoscopes. They express her love and care in the most precious way as her prayers for her family outnumber the stitches on each quilt. Her patient, careful work is like the work of our heavenly Father who is creating something beautiful out of our lives. She carefully lays out all the pieces and decides how to place them in the overall design. She may rearrange them as she sees fit. She knows what the finished product will look like. She thoughtfully chooses the border to compliment the colors in the pattern.

As she has gotten older, her arthritis has worsened and some days it makes it nearly impossible to quilt. However, her determination to complete it before the great grandbaby arrives keeps her working through the pain and stiffness.

We surprised her for her 80^th birthday, adorning the living room with her handiwork. Everyone who could make it brought their quilt to take a picture with it and the main character. Jeremy and my brother held up each quilt as a backdrop to the photo with my mom and the receiver standing in front of it. I am not sure who was more grateful. The one who received the quilt or my mom as she stood next to each one arms around their backs and smiling. It was a joy to honor her in this way.

Our quilts are displayed on quilt racks in the corner of our rooms, used for extra warmth on our beds and couches, and have occasionally served as the main bedspread. When I look at them I am reminded of the lovely mom I have. She has mourned the times she has felt inadequate as a mom and for the times she wishes she could go back and do something differently…better. Her quilts are a picture of how imperfection can be lovely too. They show us that it is okay to be who we are and not always get it right. But when we display them in our living rooms or on our beds or wrap up in their warmth, there is so much more beauty and goodness and gratefulness. Her quilts are treasured gifts and so is my mom.