Seven Years

Dear Grandma,
It's been seven years since your life on earth was robbed from you.  Seven years since we all said good bye and stood in your presence as your soul flew from this world.  Those are difficult memories to hold on to. I would rather cherish memories of Sunday pot roasts, card games, broken cameras, and recycling deliveries to my mom's house.  Yes, those memories bring a happy smile to my face and a lump to my throat.

Mom and I wanted to bring new and better memories to the day that marks your death.  Praise God that  through Margaret's Hope Chest we are able to do that.  Seven quilts will find their way to new homes today-like Christina's.  Her house is filled with 3 small children and some fear about what a diagnosis of breast cancer will mean to her family. Three year old Micah has spinal muscular atrophy and is confined to a purple wheelchair because her leg muscles won't let her walk. She loves pretty things--don't you want to see her face when she sees her new RAINBOW quilt?!  9 year old James lost his mom to cancer at Christmas--he is adjusting to a new school and a new life with his dad--we pray that a new quilt given to him by a new friend at school will be a concrete reminder of God's love. When Rick receives his quilt I hope that he remembers that there are others who care about him and his daughter--and they miss his wife too.  Will a quilt help to comfort Dominique and her family after a failed adoption? I hope so. And by God's grace two quilts that are going home to Liz and Denise-and maybe they will also travel with them to the hospital as they get treatment for cancer.
In your name and honor Grandma, seven people will get a little reminder of you--a gift of HOPE and comfort and a celebration of a life lived to it's fullest and a tribute from those left behind who love and miss you.

Give Grandpa a kiss for me--I miss him too.

Love,
Carin