Grand-maman led a hard life, raising five young children on her own and in order to feed and clothe the family she had opened a remnant store. I loved walking into the store, which happened to be the old summer kitchen, smelling the musty fabric, looking for treasures that would have escaped one of her many clients and asking her many questions.
The years passed and she moved, selling her store and most of its contents, but had kept some fabric for future use. As a way of reconnecting with her, as a teenager, I remember asking Grand-maman one day if she would make me a quilt. She asked me the colors and what I would like and although I didn't know exactly what I wanted, I trusted that she would make me something that would be just perfect. Many months later, I was gifted this beautiful handmade quilt, the labor of her love for me.
I suspect that she had used fabric from her stash and there was the odd piece that was just a bit mismatched. Even the most perfect quilt has imperfections and that is what makes each one unique.
Today, many years later, I still wonder what each square, each stitch represented to her. Where was her attention? What legacy did she wish to leave me?
If each event in your life is represented by a stitch, where is your attention – on the perfect stitches, on the imperfect ones or on the whole quilt?
What legacy are you leaving behind?
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