What a Week!

Our family has been on an emotional roller coaster for the past ten days.

Before Christmas, Meredith notified us that Andrew was to be christened at their church on January 24th and that deadline set the wheels in motion for me to get busy on a quilt for him. I like to map out my projects from start to finish, so I began to sort through my quilting "stash" and then picked out a pattern for his quilt. My friend Jo had gifted me with a certificate for material from a wonderful quilt store, so she and I made a trip there to find the perfect backing for Andrew's special quilt.

After I had gotten started on the quilt blocks it became evident that my newer sewing machine was just not up to the rigors of quilting and I was faced with a dilemma. The machine was barely two years old but was definitely not going to make it to the end of this quilt. So, after several days of internet research and Facebook queries, I decided to buy a new super-duper Janome sewing machine. That was just two weeks ago.

I already had the major part of the quilt front done, and the new machine just breezed through the finishing borders, mitred corners and all. I was back on schedule with days to spare. And then the unthinkable happened. We received a call that Graham's brother, Richard, had suffered a stroke and was not expected to survive. That was the moment the bars locked across me on the roller coaster and my schedule was no longer my own.

We all respond to stress in different ways, and in between tears and hospital visits, I managed to set my mind on the quilt and spent one agonizing morning taping and pinning the layers together in preparation for the actual quilting activity. Imagine my absolute horror when I couldn't get the layers of material underneath the quilting foot, and then to find that on Saturday afternoon of Martin Luther King weekend the sewing store was not open. That was one of those "What next, Lord" moments. That was also the day we learned that Graham's beloved brother had died. And my roller coaster was now at the top of the ride.

Somehow, certainly by the grace of God, and definitely with the exchange of the quilting foot on Tuesday, I managed to find the time to stitch in every little ditch of the quilt and hand sew the binding in place and by Thursday the quilt was ribboned, wrapped, and ready for Andrew's special day. Now I could focus on our family and the tribute planned for Dickey on Friday. My coaster ride was finally headed for the finish line.

Here is the finished quilt. I kept this a secret from Meredith from start to finish, knowing the colors she had requested, but wanting to make this one a little different from Adrian's. Her two little boys are so precious, but so different and each very unique. When she pulled it from the wrapping today, the first thing she noticed were bits of materials that are also in other quilts I have made for them. That, for me, is a great part of the charm of quilting. Just like her boys, as each is different from the other, but also so much alike, their quilts will reflect the same thing. I hope they will always know the love their Ludee has for them as they receive the warmth from their quilts.

But I digress...

Today was a special day. Precious Andrew Graham Moza was christened and dedicated to our Lord this morning. His Mommy and Daddy have set their hearts toward raising their boys in the "training and admonition of the Lord." Their covenant was duly witnessed this morning by Jo Schweizer, Doug and Lois White, Jeff and Cynthia Vollmer, and two doting grandparents. May God be praised. Because, in the midst of our intense sorrow over Dickey, He reminds us through the new life of Andrew that this is His world, He has heard our weeping, and has given us each new day as a testament to His goodness.

The ride of the last ten days is over, the bars are unlocked, and my feet are back on solid ground.