Requisit Respite

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Crochet Preemie Afghans

I'm on a roll.
I think I'll post more of my 'artwork.'

This is a Trip Around the World quilting pattern made with yarn scraps from other projects.


This is a Log Cabin pattern.  I figured out how to do it.  I love using yarn scraps to make these.  Or, like this one, I bought the yarn and used the scraps from this project to make others.



I don't always take pictures of all the preemie afghans I make, but sometimes, if the colors are unusual, like these new colors I really haven't used before, I will take photos to remind me of the color combinations.  There are lot of new yarns out there in all different collors.


Love these color combos...

Twenty Years Ago Today

It is twenty years today that my father died.
I can't believe it's been that long, but, as all parents, I measure time by my children.  I remember Jewely was just seven months old at his funeral. Jewely is now 20 years old--and seven months, tomorrow.
I received a phone call from my mom at about nine in the morning, I think, and she told me that dad had passed away early, early in the morning.
As usual, he had been up during the night and left their bedroom to go to sleep on the couch (sometimes he would get on the recliner) for one reason or another.  When my mother awoke to get ready to go to a Christian Women's Club meeting (I think it was), she just took her shower, got dressed, put on her makeup, etc., knowing my father was an early bird and he must be outside enjoying the morning.
When she came out of the bedroom into the living room, she noticed he was lying on the couch--unusual for someone who wakes up at 6 a.m. every day.  It was going on 9:00!  Then she saw that his eyes were open.
  We knew my dad wasn't feeling well.  He had just failed a stress test on Friday and the doctor told him to come back to the hospital the next Friday for a cath.  He didn't make it.  He died Tuesday morning of a massive heart attack.  He was only 63.
I was calm when I received the call from my mom in Florida.  I listened.  She said everything was going smoothly with medical personnel.  My aunt and uncle lived near, so I knew she had them and many friends.
I hung up and called my husband at work.  He said he was coming home immediately.  I told him I was fine.  He, thankfully, didn't listen to me and came home at once.
When I hung up the phone from him, my body started shaking involuntarily.  I. couldn't. stop. shaking.
That had never happened to me before.  I'm glad my husband came home.  I had little ones to take care of, and kindergarten and nursery school car pools, and...

I remember collapsing into my brother Andrew's arms at the cemetery and sobbing, finally able to release my sorrow. My mother, who was about my age, reflected after the funeral that she was much too young to be a widow.

Anyway....after 20 years, I guess this is a good time to reflect on my dad.  He died right before Thanksgiving.  Having my Uncle Tony's funeral this week has caused us all to ponder it, I think.  We know they are in that better place and are now watching over us, our guardian angels, to make sure we are safe and to help us when times get rough. They are that whispering in our minds to remind us we left our keys in the car, or to turn off the lights, or you forgot to unplug your curling iron. 
I can just picture my dad in my mind's eye, gently nudging me awake every morning, reminding me, "You're going to be late for work!" as he did for me when I was in school.  He was my personal alarm clock.  He would come into my room every morning at 6:55 a.m. and gently say, "Susan, wake up."  I would, bleary-eyed, come to my senses, look at the clock and at him, then drift back to dreamland, only to feel my father lovingly give me a back rub and quietly urge me to wake up.  It was a long process.  Now I set the alarm and push snooze about 10 times before I actually leave the bed, waking up slowly, slowly.
I never set an alarm as long as I lived in that house.  My dad woke me up every morning, ever so quietly and gently, and slowly. 

As a parent, I can only hope that my children remember me fondly and lovingly.  I know I failed at a lot of things, but I have never failed to love them with all my heart.  I hope they forgive my shortcomings and remember, oh, remember, how much I love them.

It's Not a Hard Concept

"God is the one sure source of truth. He is the fount of all inspiration. It is from him that the world must receive direction if peace is to come to the earth and if goodwill is to prevail among men. This earth is his creation. We are his children. Out of the love he bears for us, he will guide us if we will seek, listen, and obey." (The Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 555).
I love this quote.  I remember one time, when my kids were younger, I asked my oldest two to clean up the family room so we could have Family Home Evening.  "And don't fight!" I added as I started doing the dishes from dinner.
It didn't take long until I heard the screaming and contention and, probably, pillow fights that were going on in the family room.  I called over to them, "I asked you not to fight.  If you would just listen to me and obey what I say, we would have perfect peace in this family!"
At that moment I straightened up with wide eyes, mouth dropped open, and looked at my reflection in the kitchen window at the sink.  It dawned on me so rapidly that Heavenly Father must say that every day!!
"If you would just obey my commandments, you would have perfect peace and harmony in your world."
As a parent, I wonder what He must be thinking all the time.  He gave us the Plan to be happy and to make our way back to Him.  It's not a hard concept.  The mercy of the Atonement of Jesus Christ acknowledged, we should be nice; do good; pray; go to church; go to the temple; love one another; ask; seek....What's so hard about that?
"...Out of the love he bears for us, he will guide us if we will seek, listen, and obey."
What a concept!