Patching

It was six years ago, that I pieced my first quilt (pictured above). It was for my niece’s new little baby daughter, Morgan. I remember giving her specific instructions: “Please use this quilt – don’t put it away in a closet – I made it for her to use. And when it falls apart, ship it back to me, and I’ll fix it.”

Now, these six years later, my niece, Marcie, came for a visit. She brought the quilt, because "the dog snagged it, and it needs a couple of patches."

I could hardly believe how shabby and worn the quilt had become.

The once-vibrant colours had faded. The once-plush blanket had settled into a paper-thin rag. The back was filled with holes of all sizes, and the binding should have been redone. But there would be little sense in doing the back and the binding, because the front was in almost the same condition.

It was so bad, that I told Marcie to put it in the burning barrel, and I’d make another one. But, you know how some kids are about their blankets -- Morgan wouldn’t part with it.

I found some leftover fabric in my stash, and I began to patch.

I patched. And I patched. And I patched.

It doesn’t look very pretty, but I did the best I could.

Morgan's quilt has been returned to her, and she probably cares far more about having it back than how it looks. I guess it's a good thing that it didn't go to the burning barrel (at least for now).

This patching process made me think about how everything wears out. When I looked for a picture of that quilt when it was new, I found about 35 years of pictures showing all kinds of ‘stuff’ we gathered along the way -- stuff that has long since found its way to the Thrift Shop or the burning barrel. All of our possessions get old and wear out. And we are left with only pictures and memories.

Did you know that Revelation 18 tells us that all things will burn at the end of time?

Father, thank you for supplying my needs while I am here. Thank you for the reminder that I need to hold loosely the 'things' and 'stuff' in my life, and tightly to what really matters.