A CERTAIN MAGIC
by Marcella Bechtel
Forty or more long years ago,
A lady I never knew
Lovingly pieced this quilt top,
And added the border, too.
Each curve fits in exactly,
It’s made so carefully,
But she died ere she could quilt it
For her great-grandson, you see.
She made quilts for all her children,
And all their children, too;
But there wasn’t time to finish
All that she meant to do.
So this lovely top was left behind
After she’d gone to rest;
It was handed down to his mother,
And stored in a cedar chest.
It stayed in perfect condition,
Though forty years it’s been
Since she made it for my husband–
He was just a baby then.
Now it is stretched out before me,
And my needle moves to a tempo,
Quilting the top she made
So many years ago.
I feel as if I know her–
This lady I never met;
For the cloth holds certain magic
Of love, that is living yet.
I know it makes her happy
That, at last, it’s being done
By someone else who loves him–
Her gift for her great-grandson.
WOMEN'S STUDIES 
Sweet, sweet poem! Things passed down through generations mean more to me as I get older. Thanks for posting!
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Our “experiences” in life still teach us as we grow older. They have to. As we see more quilts, we learn how much work goes into each one. As we see more and more little children, we also know just how much work goes into them. Our appreciation for articles passed down could very well have to do with the people who created those things, more than the articles themselves. Our love for souls figures in here.
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Made me think of the quilt pieces my mother made that are now hanging on granddaughter Sarah’s wall. Mother, too, intended to make quilts for her children and grands but macular degeneration took her sight and cancer took her life.
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Dawn, I too struggle with macular degeration–albeit very slow growing. Even the cataract surgery did not help all that much, but my issues are bearable. I am thankful to have been given time to do a few things that needed to be done. For a while I was unable to read except when I was able to use a THICK magnifying ruler to go line-by-line. Fortunately, I could make things larger on my computer screen and read more that way, but it wasn’t great.
I have big plans for finishing several projects, but the Lord has given me plenty of work to do with or without those projects. I have prayed He will continue to use me for His work, no matter what it is.
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What a sweet poem!! I love it. I’ve shared it with the “sewing grannies” group on MeWe.com. Thanks, Beth, for sharing that.
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Janice, it is so good to hear from you again. Feel free to share anything on my site–just let them know where you got it.
As for this poem, I am beginning to feel more and more like I might not finish all my projects for the 20 in our nest. That is 18 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Whew!
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