Sometimes words completely fail me. Words themselves seem so inadequate to express my gratitude. To a stranger who called in the midst of the deepest of my sorrow. Who asked if she could make this for our family.
I remember thinking at the time, “How did you get my number again?” And being lost in the turmoil of my emotions, trying to remember how to think, how to process this like I would have a few days before when a toddler in my lap would have been my key distraction.
But this was something I couldn’t do myself. And I knew it was something our family would treasure. So I said yes to a stranger and over the coming months as I struggled to go through the pictures and chatted with her about the relationship between Tiggy and each of his siblings, she became a friend.
I never knew how hard that would be, to just go through pictures. I had looked at them over and over, but to make a decision, to choose this photo and not that one, proved almost impossible. Because I love them all.
That left her scrambling until the last minute. Because you see, they were planning a big homeschool field trip and wanted to drop it off in person.
And as I touch the fabric that was his clothes, watch my little LE count the pictures of Tiggy, listen to the children recount their memories, I am overcome with gratitude and there are no words that can match the depth of my thankfulness.
I homeschool my children on a small hobby farm in rural Nebraska and write about life more abundantly, from the joy of a baby's smile to the almost unbearable grief of losing a son while seeking beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair (Isaiah 61:3)
*tears*
What a beautiful and touching gift.
It is. I still keep crying. Sometimes because of the flood of memories and sometimes because I just can’t believe someone would do something so nice for us, especially someone who only knows me because she followed a link, read what happened and asked another homeschooler I’ve never met if she had my number. Actually, I’m still not sure how she got my number.
All I can say is I guess this is what it means to be in the body of Christ . . . to find sisters and friends and generosity in people we’ve never met.
it is precious! <3 praying for all your hearts
Manda´s last [type] ..Mr & Mrs Isaiah Jenkins
Wow. Such a picture of love, on soooo many levels.
Dana, I only know you from following a link as well. But, I find myself thinking of you often, praying for you daily…sometimes I think God just leads us to someone who needs our prayers and our love. You are a beautiful person. I can only hold you up in prayer but I hope that it helps a little to know that people love you and are moved by compassion for you.
The quilt is so beautiful.
Gretchen´s last [type] ..Summer sanity
Gretchen, it does help and is incredibly encouraging.
Dana´s last [type] ..Our memory quilt
An embodiment of your family’s love, that you could not make for yourself, given by the grace of someone who loved you unexpectedly, out of the blue — a Christlike gift indeed! May it bless your family and all who see it!
Andrew Wetzel (@CircleReader)´s last [type] ..Creep- Crawl- Flash- or Thunder
Oh.
Wow.
Over the top, beautiful gift.
Just can’t thank you enough for sharing this all with us.
Teri @ StumblingAroundInTheLight´s last [type] ..Winter Reruns
Thank you. And yes. Unexpected, beautiful, over the top. And a challenge to remember those around me and to think how I can share my gifts to bless their lives.
Dana´s last [type] ..The words that were left behind
What a priceless, cherished gift! This will be so important for your children as a way to keep Tiggy alive for them. It is wonderful how God can use strangers to love on us! Blessings to you and yours.
I am truly sorry for your loss, and amazed by your grace, strength, and faith as you face each day. This quilt is a lovely gift. One of my favorite sayings is ‘the Lord gives us memories so that we may have roses in the winter”. May God bles the life of you and your family as you continue to heal through remembering.
All I can say is I guess this is what it means to be in the body of Christ . . . to find sisters and friends and generosity in people we’ve never met.
And not only there. I know other mothers who have been here reading and grieving and in awe of the voice you’ve found (though we don’t have words and haven’t been commenting — just reading every post and all who do comment.) I think all the love you write about so that we can feel it too transcends both what mothers have in in common and what we don’t. And I think any one of us can see this is a beautiful, beautiful gift. Hugs to all.
JJ´s last [type] ..Power of Story in One Teacher’s Century-long Life
Yes, JJ. It is what all mothers have in common. There are multiple ties that bind us to strangers — motherhood, children with special needs, grief, common beliefs — so many things that can make you feel a connection to someone and to feel it strongly, like a deep friendship without the benefit of really even knowing them.
It doesn’t have to be religious, but to me, as a Christian, it is what being a believer is supposed to be. Not the fighting over doctrine or positioning for public attention. Just the simple daily act of living out the love that was shown us.
The faithful have no monopoly on lovingkindness, though I wish it were a more common trait since it is said, “By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ~John 13:35
Dana´s last [type] ..The words that were left behind Words Matter
And it is nice to “see” you again, JJ. I’ve sort of been wrapped up in my own little world for awhile.
Dana´s last [type] ..The words that were left behind Words Matter
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Oh, I got shivers when you mentioned the body of Christ! Someone was His hands for you, making a special gift that your family would treasure. Isn’t that all we should be for each other, His hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth? I read an article once that said if we gave of our talents freely, then the world would be changed. I teach free piano lessons and my kids have made some really great friends that way. (Other than a bunch of odd languages nobody wants to learn and gallons of breast milk, that’s all I got! )
Love, love, love this woman!
what a beautiful treasure! crying and praying for you right now, dana.
MarshaMarshaMarsha´s last [type] ..matthew 24-36
This is so absolutely beautiful. I just found your blog tonight sort of by accident and have been reading about your precious little boy and your lovely family and crying for you all. This Thursday will be the one year anniversary of my youngest son’s death, and I was just going through his clothes (like you mentioned in another post, burying my face in them and inhaling deeply in the hopes that I might catch a hint of his scent, but it’s gone). The idea of making a quilt out of them had crossed my mind, but I wasn’t sure how it might work. Now I see from your picture that it could be really wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing! You and your family will most certainly be kept in my prayers as you seek (and find) the Lord’s comfort and strength every day.
Oh, Gayle, I am so sorry for your loss. If you do decide to make a quilt, I would love to see pictures. It has been wonderful for our family. Sometimes I have a hard time looking at pictures, but the children like to look at it again and again. They each have their own square, too, which is special for them.
Dana´s last [type] ..We’re back!
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