We had a birthday party yesterday...Grandson Tyler is 13. I made him a quilt and he promptly opened it and thanked me. Then he got down on the floor and rolled up in it...twisting back and forth. I thought of all the hours and hand stitching that I had put into it. I made it pretty sturdy, so it should last. I knew that a boy was going to receive it and it would be used to death.
Yesterday was my oldest son's birthday. He was my first child. We so looked forward to his birth. I always wanted to be a Mom and on Aug. 17, 1957...I became one for the first time. I've enjoyed him since the day he was born. He's always fun and keeps me laughing..
On the way home...a long ride....I was looking at the farms along the way and thinking that America belongs to each of us. Maybe we start out as children, our parents give us a small plot in which to plant what we want. My Grandson Collin had that last year. He planted, in a very small plot, tomatoes, beans, cukes, squash, strawberries, lettuce and on and on. At the birthday party last year, he asked if I wanted to go out and see it.There was this tangled garden full of plants and weeds. He said he was going to harvest some things. (his word) We picked a few cherry tomatoes. So cute. He learned a lesson and knew that he should plant less and weed more the next year.
I had a patch of ground when I was small. I planted flowers and Dad showed me how to drop each seed and later how to thin things. Thinning is a painful thing....even now. The flowers were pretty nice...mostly cosmos. Dad taught me a valuable lesson. I still think of him everytime I go out to thin things and pull weeds.
This brings me to our national pride....in the Olympics. These athletes started out as, many times, little children. They are in a huge crowd of kids and slowly but surely they are thinned out to become the cream of the crop. The weeds that they have had to watch out for are laziness, hatred, false pride, and selfishness. The best part of the Olympics, for me, is to see a participant not doing as well as he or she wanted, go up to the potential gold medal winner and give them a hug. You can see the pain in their eyes, but they are so happy to share in someone else's glory.
Balisha
4 comments:
What a truly thought provoking post today Balisha.
Hi Balisha,
Your grandson is lucky to have such a good-natured grandmother. I'm sure he will hang onto that quilt for decades.
I liked reading your thoughts about America.
I realized today another trait that you share with my dear mom. She used to do so many things: writing short stories, running, doing yoga, reading. Then she always said wistfully "There's never enough time." And we would say, "There IS enough time."
Hi Balisha, I never thought of the olympic people as being compared to a garden being weeded but that is a wonderful comparison. I hate to weed out my flowers when I plant seeds in the spring. I feel like a killer or something for just pulling them out and throwing them away. I know exactly what you mean.
I guess the thoughts about America come from watching so much of the Olympics.I have always been one to shed a tear, when the flag goes by.
There have been so many wonderful stories this time in all countries.
Crayons...the quilt is my last. Tyler took me aside several months ago and asked if I would make him one. I really didn't want to, but couldn't say no to a 12 year old. My eyes are not as good as they once were. I made the simplest quilt. Just squares. Everyday working on it...bought special lighting, even tried a magnifier...still had problems. He loved it though. I really can't do another one. His younger brother looked like he wanted one too. I will have to do something with fleece for him. My eyes are old and tired.
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