November 19
For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:9
One of our treasured family possessions is a handmade Amish quilt that was purchased shortly after my Mother passed away. It’s carefully placed squares of assorted shades of green and white create a landscape of peace and beauty, reminiscent of the patchwork-like landscape of the farmland below, which held me in awe when I took my first flight across the Country. How excited my Mother was for me to be travelling where she knew she was not able to go, and she couldn’t get enough of my stories about the areas visited.
Mom loved visiting “Amish Country” in Pennsylvania. An avid reader of history, she enjoyed being in that place of “the past” and yearned for the seeming simplicity she observed there, yet was most cognizant of the difficulties the Amish people faced in their everyday life. Without the benefit of modern appliances or machinery, providing an existence for their families requires long, hard work. Mom would share with us on her return trip home, all about the loveliness of the area. She enjoyed viewing the countryside, its rolling, endless green fields dotted with horses and cows and crops. She was in awe that everywhere, she observed people working together – in a field, in a home, at the farm stand - and a crafter herself, her enthrallment with their quilts, created and made all without a sewing machine! She loved to visit the various farm houses just to see and touch the quilts made there. But the purchase of one of them was out of her reach, nearly the cost of her visit there and there was no question, the trip was her priority.
When my daughters and I visited there a few months after her death, we pooled our money together and brought home our quilt. Walking into the tiny quilt room off the beaten path, the minute I saw it, I knew it was the one – simple, sturdy, and lovely – a patchwork of sorts – and in my favorite color. Each little square brings me back to the many places and people in our lives and the beautiful tapestry we create by contributing our little bit - each of us - all together. How Mama would love this quilt!
We may only have a tiny bit to offer, Lord, but help us to remember the importance of it, all together.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:9
One of our treasured family possessions is a handmade Amish quilt that was purchased shortly after my Mother passed away. It’s carefully placed squares of assorted shades of green and white create a landscape of peace and beauty, reminiscent of the patchwork-like landscape of the farmland below, which held me in awe when I took my first flight across the Country. How excited my Mother was for me to be travelling where she knew she was not able to go, and she couldn’t get enough of my stories about the areas visited.
Mom loved visiting “Amish Country” in Pennsylvania. An avid reader of history, she enjoyed being in that place of “the past” and yearned for the seeming simplicity she observed there, yet was most cognizant of the difficulties the Amish people faced in their everyday life. Without the benefit of modern appliances or machinery, providing an existence for their families requires long, hard work. Mom would share with us on her return trip home, all about the loveliness of the area. She enjoyed viewing the countryside, its rolling, endless green fields dotted with horses and cows and crops. She was in awe that everywhere, she observed people working together – in a field, in a home, at the farm stand - and a crafter herself, her enthrallment with their quilts, created and made all without a sewing machine! She loved to visit the various farm houses just to see and touch the quilts made there. But the purchase of one of them was out of her reach, nearly the cost of her visit there and there was no question, the trip was her priority.
When my daughters and I visited there a few months after her death, we pooled our money together and brought home our quilt. Walking into the tiny quilt room off the beaten path, the minute I saw it, I knew it was the one – simple, sturdy, and lovely – a patchwork of sorts – and in my favorite color. Each little square brings me back to the many places and people in our lives and the beautiful tapestry we create by contributing our little bit - each of us - all together. How Mama would love this quilt!
We may only have a tiny bit to offer, Lord, but help us to remember the importance of it, all together.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson