After Grandma Sharon died, the family found a baby blanket she'd been working on for Auntie Em's baby boy (who is expected to arrive in January). Since no one else in the family knows how to crochet, Andrew brought the unfinished blanket back to me when he came home from the funeral and after a few false starts I finally figured out the pattern and got to work.
I finished putting the border on it this evening while we watched Elf as a family.
Perhaps I'm over sentimental but I felt rather honoured to be the one to finish this project for Grandma Sharon, and I think it's neat that Emily's baby will have a blanket that was made by both his great-grandma and his (*cough*favourite*cough*) auntie.
Grandma Sharon was always so good at getting cards out for every occasion and seemed to really love getting gifts together for people. I think it's something that we'll come to miss about her, as more and more holidays go by with nary a card from Grandma. I imagine she was as organized about it as my grandma was, keeping lists of gifts she purchased and preparing cards in advance.
I'm not like that, not at all, but perhaps one day I will be more like that than I am now because even my mom is getting better at picking out gifts and she's always said how much she dislikes shopping for gifts (I think that's where I get it from). This year she noticed a blog post I'd written about my girls "making due" with what they had, rather than getting to have the "real deal," so my mom found the real deal for them. Honestly, getting such a thing for them hadn't even crossed my mind. I was perfectly content to let them continue carrying on without it.
I'm just not good at selecting gifts (except that one time I found the perfect Mother's Day gift for Karen) or remembering special occasions. At least not yet.
Finishing this baby blanket also reminded me of when my Grandma Conrad passed away because I was taking care of some unfinished business for Grandma Sharon.
It was so hard for my little sister when our Grandma Conrad passed away. She died on April 25, 2003, just eleven days after her 75th birthday. My little sister had just turned nine on April 7th, and though my grandma had been terribly ill (she died, in her home, of untreatable liver cancer) she had managed to write a message in a card for my little sister (as well as for another cousin with an April birthday).
My aunt, who had been going through some papers after Grandma died, found the cards and put them in the mail. I know we went up for the funeral (from Utah to Canada) so this must have happened after that. When my sister opened her card, she fled to the backyard and wept in a little nest she'd made of willow branches (we'd recently trimmed the trees) while clutching the card to her chest. She cried for hours and kept that card for years, knowing it was the last card she'd ever receive. It's very possible she still has that card (though I don't know for sure).
That's the circle of life. We say sweet hellos. We say bitter goodbyes. And somewhere in the middle we get to spend some precious moments together.
I finished putting the border on it this evening while we watched Elf as a family.
Perhaps I'm over sentimental but I felt rather honoured to be the one to finish this project for Grandma Sharon, and I think it's neat that Emily's baby will have a blanket that was made by both his great-grandma and his (*cough*favourite*cough*) auntie.
Grandma Sharon was always so good at getting cards out for every occasion and seemed to really love getting gifts together for people. I think it's something that we'll come to miss about her, as more and more holidays go by with nary a card from Grandma. I imagine she was as organized about it as my grandma was, keeping lists of gifts she purchased and preparing cards in advance.
I'm not like that, not at all, but perhaps one day I will be more like that than I am now because even my mom is getting better at picking out gifts and she's always said how much she dislikes shopping for gifts (I think that's where I get it from). This year she noticed a blog post I'd written about my girls "making due" with what they had, rather than getting to have the "real deal," so my mom found the real deal for them. Honestly, getting such a thing for them hadn't even crossed my mind. I was perfectly content to let them continue carrying on without it.
I'm just not good at selecting gifts (except that one time I found the perfect Mother's Day gift for Karen) or remembering special occasions. At least not yet.
Finishing this baby blanket also reminded me of when my Grandma Conrad passed away because I was taking care of some unfinished business for Grandma Sharon.
It was so hard for my little sister when our Grandma Conrad passed away. She died on April 25, 2003, just eleven days after her 75th birthday. My little sister had just turned nine on April 7th, and though my grandma had been terribly ill (she died, in her home, of untreatable liver cancer) she had managed to write a message in a card for my little sister (as well as for another cousin with an April birthday).
My aunt, who had been going through some papers after Grandma died, found the cards and put them in the mail. I know we went up for the funeral (from Utah to Canada) so this must have happened after that. When my sister opened her card, she fled to the backyard and wept in a little nest she'd made of willow branches (we'd recently trimmed the trees) while clutching the card to her chest. She cried for hours and kept that card for years, knowing it was the last card she'd ever receive. It's very possible she still has that card (though I don't know for sure).
That's the circle of life. We say sweet hellos. We say bitter goodbyes. And somewhere in the middle we get to spend some precious moments together.
Beautiful - both the blanket and the sentiments.
ReplyDeleteSuch a touching post. And, yes, what an honor for you to be able to finish this blanket. It looks great.
ReplyDelete