Our Family Quilt, Memories Etched into Time.
Our family’s quilt has been with me for years, and it’s difficult to explain its value. To understand the full meaning of that quilt, you have to imagine what my childhood was like.
My brother and I were blessed to take quite a few vacations as kids. Michigan natives, we were sent down to Florida twice to spend the entire summer with our grandparents. Our grandparents took us to do tons of things both in Florida and on the drive back to Michigan. We also took a few trips to New Jersey where some of our other family members lived. Our parents bought us tickets for a couple cruises, and we even went to Vegas once. We were lucky little kids who got to see lots of different things. My favorite memories, however, come from the lake house.
We lived in Michigan as children, and our parents purchased a lake house about three hours north of our regular home. My brother and I loved spending weekends there. In the summer, we would take jet skis on the lake. Once it froze over in the winter, we would ride snowmobiles on the very same lake. Regardless of the season, our family quilt remained a constant at the lake house.
When we weren’t riding jet skis in the summer, we were playing in the backyard with friends. My mom would throw the quilt down and call us over for lemonade, iced tea, and snacks. Looking back, it seemed like a scene from a commercial or movie. During cold winter nights, we would snuggle up under the quilt and relax by our fireplace in the living room. So many laughs and good times took place with the quilt.
I’m not quite sure where the quilt even came from. I think our grandmother bought it for the lake house shortly after we bought it. Where it came from isn’t that important to me. I care about where it’s been. Once we sold the lake house and moved down to Florida, I begged and pleaded until my mother allowed me to keep the quilt in my bedroom. As a homesick middle school child, the quilt reminded me of good times in the past whenever I was sad. As I grew older, the quilt represented even more. After my mother returned home from her cancer surgery, we cuddled together under the quilt until she fell asleep. I took the quilt with me when I left home for college. It’s still with me today in my very own apartment. I often smile as I walk by my couch and see the quilt in all its glory, small grass stains and all. That quilt represents more than anyone can imagine.
Dinkydoo's note: As part of our "Quilting Memories" blog series, we've asked some of our friends (who wish to remain anonymous) to tell us some of their fondest memories of a quilt that has been in their family, that has a special meaning to them.