Wednesday Oui? Blanket of Love

On Saturday evening, after a day of yard work, we went over to Aaron's parent's house for Aaron's birthday celebration. Per usual there were good food and spirits (not "spirits" because I was on-call and couldn't drink and Aaron gave up drinking for lent) but you know what I mean. The point of this post, however, isn't the party; it's one of the gifts Aaron received. About a month ago I found out that Aaron's mom was planning a very special gift for him that, last Saturday, she presented for his birthday.

But first, a little back-story... Aaron was very close to his "Granddad" who passed away a little over two years ago. I hadn't been in the family too long so I only had the opportunity to meet him on a few occasions. It's my understanding, however, that Aaron and he were pretty close, and Fred (Granddad) was notorious for wearing flannel shirts. From what I've heard everyone who knew Granddad loved him. He loved to build things, he loved his family, and he loved astronomy.

Linda, Aaron's mom, is the oldest of three children and she is, according to every psychology book I've ever read, the textbook "oldest child" (a care taker, nurturing, thoughtful, and reliable.) Over the past few months she has been working to make Aaron a quilt using her father's (Aaron's Granddad's) flannel shirts.

The quilt is just beautiful--simply amazing. As Aaron unwrapped it I choked back tears at the thought of just how special this gift really is. Anyone who has ever recieved a quilt knows the amount of work that goes into making one and how nice a quilt really is but this tops it. This quilt is made from shirts Granddad once wore, and the pattern of the quilt is called "The Milky Way" incorporating Fred's (and Aaron's) love of astronomy. Well done, Mom M!

As I was sitting there, watching Aaron inspect his blanket of love, it occurred to me just how difficult it must have been for Mom to make this. I don't mean difficult as in "a challenging quilt to sew" but, for weeks on end, she was handling and cutting up the very shirts her own father once wore; cutting off the tiny buttons that his nimble fingers once fastened, all so she could make a quilt for her youngest son. I don't know how she found the strength to do it but I hope, in some way, she was able to find a measure of comfort in the process.

Now Linda, being highly skilled at many crafts and projects, didn't simply just make a quilt. She also included personal touches-- she sewed a pocket from one of Fred's shirts on the backside of the quilt to hold a remote control and included a note on fabric.

This is one of those gifts from the heart. I know I can speak for Aaron when I say it's the most thoughtful gift and not only will we think of Granddad when we use it but also Mom M, Granddad's oldest daughter, who made sure his love will always keep us warm.

Granddad, Mom M (Linda) and her two pride and joys; Matt & Aaron