First the reminder. Have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend everyone. I hope the weather cooperates for you. Mostly, I hope you’ll take a minute or two to remember those who came before us who sacrificed their lives for the peace and safety we enjoy today. My dad has a headstone like this. He was a veteran of WWII and I wish I could tell you all about it. None of us kids ever asked him to talk about his military days, and he never reminisced about it. We know he was on an amphibious ship during WWII but we aren’t sure just where he was. How I wish we had asked him about his experiences. We know he had a dear, dear friend whom he stayed in touch with right up until his death, Norman, who lived in Oregon. My dad lived in Maine. They must have shared some very important moments to stay so close all those years following the War.
I know two men who were honored with the trip to Washington, the Honor Flight, for WWII veterans. This trip is an opportunity to honor these men, mainly WWII veterans but also included are younger veterans terminally ill. They treat these men like real heroes, allowing them a chance to visit the memorials to their service. I’m proud to know both Paul and Norman, two men who are very proud of their service to this country. Two men we must say thank you to, over and over, for their unselfish actions. Paul and Norman are both in their 80’s now, Paul not in such good health but still when invited, he went with all the excitement of a small boy going for his first pony ride. He told his niece and I one day about the trip, how they treated them like kings and cared for their every need. It’s such a small thing our country can do for these living heroes. Norman is still in good health and he is so proud of his military years. He proudly wears his uniform whenever the opportunity arises. He willingly shares his experiences and I can only think that perhaps he and my dad shared experiences. Thank you, all veterans, and active personnel, for the years you freely gave to our country to maintain our land as we know it.
Be sure to thank a Veteran if you meet up with one this weekend. Thanks to my dear husband for his service and I remember his service so well. We got married while he was in the military and I spent two long years alone while he was overseas. He was never in serious danger, though he did serve on a ship that did a serious job and if things had gone bad, I think he probably could have been in danger. However, he came home to me and I’m thankful for that. We lost a few friends during the Vietnam era. They gave it all!
Now to something lighter. I thought I would share with you several books I’ve been reading (and listening to) this week.
I know this is a quilting blog (mostly) but I enjoy knitting too. This is a knitting book, a novel, The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. This is fiction.
This is a touching, heart-wrenching story about a young woman, a mother, who loses her young daughter, Stella, to meningitis at age 5. It takes us through the first year with Mary, showing us the raw pain that this woman and her husband, Dillon, go through and the resulting actions that often occur when a family loses a child. Mary is led to a knitting circle and takes up knitting which she learns is a perfect way to block the painful thoughts that come to her night and day. In the process of learning to knit, Mary learns of the other knitters in the circle. They each have a story to tell, a horrible story to tell, and through their stories Mary is able to learn to deal with her pain. I highly recommend this book.
The second book is related to quilting.
This one, a non-fiction, is just as riveting. Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee’s Bend Quilts and Beyond is a fascinating look into the life of Mary Lee Bendolph and her relatives and friends, and other artists that she meets late in life when her quilts, the famous quilts of Gee’s Bend, take her out of her insular community and awaken the world to the quilt artist Mary Lee Bendolph.
The photographs in the book are accompanied by Mary’s story, and the story of her whole community and the African-American families of the rural South. Mary’s experiences with her mother’s quilts and watching at her mother’s knee certainly had an impact on Mary’s quilts. However, Mary takes her quilts beyond the utilitarian quilts of her mother. They are still utilitarian, often made from recycled clothing from her family, but they are art as well. Some of them I can’t say I LOVE, but others are striking. That’s the way it is with all art, right? Sometimes you wonder why someone calls it “art” and other times you scream “This is ART!”
I was very interested to read this account of Mary Lee Bendolph and the quilts of Gee’s Bend. I hope you’ll find it at Amazon.com or at your local library and learn about these artists.
Happy Holiday.
Marsha
On The Go Quilting 