the Z, Y, X's of life "Q" quilts

these 26 entries z-a are meant as a tandem collection of short essays, interspersed throughout my blog. intead of the abc's of life, i'm writing backwards for two reasons.  t.s. eliot said that to make an end is to make a beginning, which i find true. that, and my grandfather could say the alphabet backwards faster than i could say it forwards.  now that's some wit.

fall comes early this year so, going by the calendar of geese flying overhead, it's time to get great-grandma's quilt out for my bed.  some would say not to use it because it's precious.  but because it's precious is exactly why i use it.  (plus i grew up in a home where we used the wedding china as everyday dish ware, thus rendering every day a special occasion).  

the quilt has been patched and mended and, while i'm careful with it, i love having it cover me with both ancestral heritage as well as memories of the lovely woman i'm named after. perhaps even by osmosis, while i sleep, becoming more like her dream by dream.

when i work with kids in the foster care system and they come to sibling camp, they get quilts.  here as well, some might say that this time together may make their attachment issues worse, but it's been proven summer after summer that even just a week together strengthen bonds measurably than no time at all.

we watch this bell curve of memories ring out year after year as they eat, play, and rough house (within reason) together.  yes, they start to act out as camp comes to a close. they don't always have language for what it means to say goodbye yet again.  when we wave to them on the bus ride, more often than not they are clutching their quilts close.

sometimes we all just need the weight of cloth and kin to keep us warm at night; reminding us of who we are, and that we have a place of honor and belonging in the scheme of things just because we exist.