Only weeks before my niece's bridal shower in July of 2012, Mom finished knitting a beautiful afghan that she was so proud of and couldn't wait for her granddaughter to see. Most of our family has afghans knitted by Mom; it was her traditional wedding gift.
How gorgeous is this?
And my niece was so excited to receive this beautiful gift made from the heart.
It's so wonderful to have family members who understand the importance of heirlooms.
The timing of the rest of this story is what's important, and it's a difficult story for me to tell, but wonderful things have happened and now it's time to talk about it.
About a week after the bridal shower, which was held in mid-July, Mother asked me to take her shopping for some yarn. We spent the afternoon in and out of craft stores, had lunch together, and just had a good time - as we normally did on Saturdays. Before beginning to knit the bridal shower afghan to give to my niece, she had knitted a baby blanket, booties and a cap and then packed them away to be given to a very special couple whom she hoped would have children in the near future. Then came the bridal afghan, and now she wanted to knit another baby blanket- this one for my niece, her granddaughter.
I asked Mother, "Why now?" My niece wouldn't be marrying her love for another seven-weeks, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I just am," she responded.
So, she decided upon a pattern and some yarn, and we headed home where she immediately began knitting.
Mother had lived with us since my father passed away. For most of those years, I usually came home from work to dinner on the table and a very clean house. She made my life so easy that my husband and I often just couldn't thank her enough. She always joked about 'earning her keep,' but we both knew she wasn't really joking; she felt a desire and obligation to carry her own weight.
After her illness in 2010, she slowed down and was no longer able to stand in the kitchen for any length of time, or to clean up the house, or do any laundry. She hated it, mentioning more than once that she felt as though she had become a burden to us. Needless to say, she was never, ever that, but those were her feelings.
In the coming weeks, I would come home from work and Mom would be in her recliner, sound asleep and her knitting in her lap. I would gently wake her to let her know I was home and she would look down and say, "I don't think I'm going to finish this in time."
I didn't get it. I didn't understand what her hurry was. I wish I knew then what I know now. For now I realize she knew her time on this earth was coming to an end. She knew and she wanted to get the baby blanket finished. She knew -- not me. The funny thing is, though, I didn't realize all of this until only a month ago.
Those are the weeks I wish I could have back. If I knew then what I know now, I would take a leave of absence from work and I would spend all of my time with her. We would laugh, we would love. I would learn more, I would write everything down, and I would hold on and never let go. I would make sure she knew how loved she was, how admired she was, how needed she was. I would take lots and lots of pictures. Absolutely nothing negative would be allowed in. An hour would not go by without me telling her how lucky I was that God gave me her as my mother.
She was tired and could only knit a few rows at a time before giving in to the fatigue. It took her much longer to complete the baby blanket than it had ever taken her to knit anything. But she did finish it; on Sept. 16.
Then on the morning of Sept. 17, she called me at work and asked me to come home, saying she was having chest pain and difficulty breathing. Without going into detail, Mother came home from the hospital emergency room that evening under Hospice care and passed away on Sept. 26 - three days before her granddaughter's wedding.
The finished baby blanket, which Mother folded and wrapped up in a white pillowcase, stayed on the top shelf of her closet - until this past July 9 - when my niece and her husband came to visit only two weeks before the birth of their firstborn. Two years to the date that Mother completed the bridal gift afghan, I was now presenting my niece with the baby blanket especially knitted just for them. It was so wonderful to see how ecstatic she was, how appreciative she was of having something knitted for her firstborn by her grandmother who had been gone for almost four years, and to see her eyes fill with tears of joy.
My niece and her love display the baby blanket knitted by "Grammy."
My great-nephew was born on July 20, and came home from the hospital wrapped up in the blanket his great-grandmother had knitted just for him; her final wish made to me.
Yesterday was my great-nephew's one-month birthday, and I went to Orlando to meet this little bundle of joy for the first time. It's been many years since there's been a birth in my immediate family. He's so tiny and fragile looking. I see my father in his face, and I also see baby boy's own grandfather in his eyes, but most importantly I see love in his life.
Happy birthday, baby boy!
I'm going to have a lot of fun being your great-auntie.
I love you Mom and Daddy. I hope everyone still has their afghans and holds them in high regard.
