Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Craft (as in handcraft) (02/08/07)
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TITLE: A Quilt of Praises | Previous Challenge Entry
By Janice Fitzpatrick
02/15/07 -
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Brenda, a little surprised, peered into the family room to spy her little one, with bed head hair, sitting Indian style in front of the television. “What are you doing up so early honey?” She asked while retrieving a packet of oatmeal from the rubble of breakfast choices.
Thank you God, she thought to herself, for providing. They were facing hard times since Wes, her husband, had died a year ago in a car accident. It was difficult on the whole family but God showed up with miracles every day.
Oh Wes, how I wish you were here. Brenda wiped a tear that formed in the corner of her eye. She couldn’t weep now. She had to be strong.
“I’m gettin’ warm in da praise quiwwlt”, Annie who tried to pronounce her reply, had the homemade patch throw wrapped around her tightly so only her head poked out, like a butterfly emerging from it’s cocoon.
The oversized blanket was officially named years ago when Brenda herself was a little girl. The tattered thinning fabric had seen better days.
Brenda remembered those times and smiled. She was nine when Momma and she decided, while looking through photos, to make their own memory holder out of fabric.
After months of working diligently on each patch of recollection, it was finished, or so Brenda thought.
“We have a lot of memories here”, she had exclaimed. “Yes,”Momma agreed, “they help remind us how blessed we are and that the Lord’s hand is with us through all times.” Brenda had looked puzzled. “Why are there empty places?” “For you to fill with more praises”, Momma smiled warmly. * *
The once vacant spaces quickly filled up with memoirs. So ragged had the quilt become after Brenda had grown up, married and started her own family, she had to add new material and re-patch the wear. Brenda passed the tradition on to their own children and the blanket had become larger than life.
There were pictures of first teeth, haircuts, pets, little league trophies won, a fabric memory of Brenda when she received her first ribbon for quilting, yet another of when Wes had lost his job and someone left groceries on their doorstep.
We sure praised you then Lord. She thought silently.
Some of her personal favorites were of Wes’s and her early years together, their first time they met at an arts and crafts show where Brenda was displaying her work as a quilter, their courting days, and their garden wedding.
The depiction of their honeymoon always brought a chuckle. How could I ever forget that?
Their car had broken down and Wes tried to fix it in the rain. While trying to help him she slipped in the mud and they both just sat in the downpour laughing and holding each other.
Oh Wes, how I miss you. She sighed. Brenda remembered their first small apartment. It seems just like yesterday we were starting our family. Brett came first, then Donny, and as a surprise, Annie, almost nine years later.
The quilt now looked more like a collage with generations of memories splashed across it like refreshing water for the soul. It was during the most difficult times when Brenda or her children felt like giving up that the comforter became almost that, a soothing blanket for their wounded spirits, the memories encouraging them to go on.
Brenda’s mind turned quickly to the present as the boys slurped and crunched their way through cereal and toast. She grinned. “Hungry?” The boys nodded.
Donny tipped the bowl of remaining liquid down his throat. Brenda snorted in laughter which caused the milk in Donny’s mouth to burst forth like raging water in a damn. A thought hit her suddenly. It was times like these that the praises needed to break through.
Annie emerged from the family room with the comforter half dragging behind her.“Look, I’m weawwing memowees of pwaises.” Brenda grinned, joining her under the quilt. “We’ll make more too sweetie,” “Maybe you can help me today.”
Brenda breathed silently. Thank you Lord for your joy and strength.”
**References of Scripture-
Ex 15:2
1 Ch 16:25
Ps 34:1
Ps 146:1
Heb 13:
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I was taught to reserve bold and italics for emphasis. With the exception for dialog or thoughts where italics were used, the entire article was in bold. The bold would have had greater impact if used sparingly.
A suggestion for improvement is to reserve bold and italics for special purposes, not for regular text use.
The unusual use of bold and italics was a little bit distracting; consider a more conventional formatting for future pieces--and I hope there will be many!