Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: REMEMBER (10/19/17)
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TITLE: The Memory Quilt | Previous Challenge Entry
By JC Hummel
10/26/17 -
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It was after 4pm when Julie arrived at her grandmother’s house where she and her aunt were planning a celebration for her grandma’s 87th birthday.
“Oh honey, you look a little windblown,” April said as Julie came into the kitchen.
“The rain is bad but the wind is dreadful, and I’ve been worried about gran’s present, but it appears that just the outer layer of the paper is wet, the quilt’s fine.”
“I can’t wait to see it. Your dad helped me put up the wooden frame for it in the living room last night. Mom is really curious about this gift of yours.”
“Well, she’ll see it soon enough.”
In the living room Julie’s grandmother was sitting in her favorite armchair in front to a roaring fire. “Happy birthday, grandma.”
The old woman moved her head and looked up at Julie realizing only then that she was there. “Oh Julie, I’m so glad you’re here,” she said and put her arms out to her granddaughter and gave her a hug.
April walked into the room carrying a tray of hor d’oeuvres. “The others will be here in a few minutes. I don’t think I can wait to see the quilt any longer. How about we let mom open it before anyone else arrives?”
Julie placed the gift on her grandmother’s lap. “I may have to help you with it,” and she pulled the tape and pushed back the brown paper to reveal a neatly folded baby blue and lavender colored quilt with a black and white picture of a young man printed on it. Gran looked at the picture and gently touched the image. It had been taken right around the time they met all those years ago, and was just a headshot of him wearing a hat and smiling into the camera. “Oh, its your grandpa! Doesn’t he look handsome?”
Julie knelt down beside her. “He sure does.”
“Knock, knock,” a voice said from behind the living room door and Julie’s dad, Roger, walked in. “Happy birthday, mom. Hey, what’s this?”
“Look at this wonderful picture of your dad.”
“I remember that photo. So this is the famous quilt.”
“Here dad, you hold one corner and I’ll hold the other, so gran and aunt April can see it all at once,” and they opened it up to reveal a quilt with 20 photos, arranged in five rows of four.
Gran and April sat with their mouths agape.
“Aunt April gave me the photos, and I had them printed onto this quilt. Each one is a milestone in grandma’s life.”
The first was an old black and white of gran, about seven-years-old, holding a baby doll and standing with her parents and two older brothers in front of their new house. Julie pointed at the picture. “This is one of my favorites, grandma.”
“The war had started in Europe and we had just arrived in America from Poland. We were all so nervous, but joyful to be in our new homeland,” gran said.
The second picture was her graduating from community college proudly holding her diploma. The next row was a line of photos of gran on her wedding day and then her holding each one of her children as babies. The pictures continued through gran’s life, the last one from the year before, was of fifty people all squeezed into the photo each one wearing a blue tee-shirt with Kennedy Family Reunion printed across the front.
“Why don’t we hang it on the frame,” April said. “Then when everyone comes they’ll be able to see all the wonderful pictures.”
More friends and relatives arrived and congregated in the living room with gran and the memory quilt. The house was filled with conversation and laughter as the party-goers shared memories of wonderful times they had together.
Later that evening, Julie helped her grandmother to her bedroom. “Thank you," gran said. "It has been a wonderful birthday. Your gift is so thoughtful. Having eighty years of memories all in one quilt, is priceless.”
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