Made With Love

This Christmas, my mom gave me the sweetest, most wonderful present! She hand sewed a quilt for me, using old material scraps she had from sewing me clothes while I was growing up! Beautiful and precious, filled with lots of memories! Some of the material came from a little shorts/shirt outfit she made me when I was 4 yrs old (I think); some came from a Thomas the Tank Engine pillowcase she made for Canaan when we visited for furlough last May. Other scraps of material I recognize are from aprons we made together, choir dresses she made for Liv and I, an Easter dress when I was in grade-school, pillows she sewed for my bed when I was a little girl, a Chinese-looking shirt she made me after I graduated, a vest she stitched, and a jacket she made for me.

The older I get, the more sentimental I become too. I know this gift took a lot of time and effort, and that she worked hard to be able to get it to me this Christmas, since we didn't have a bed spread that fit our bed properly. And seeing the memories she put in there, of other things she's sewed me, in addition to some needlework, makes it even more special. In a time where everyone is so busy, where home-cooked meals are less common and where home-made gifts are rarer, it makes this gift even more dear to me. I know this quilt will be something I'll treasure for years and years, and one I will pass down to one of my boys (or their wives), to pass down from there.

However, the best gift my mom ever gave, and continues to give, is the gift of a loving home and family. Raising me, she didn't follow the cultural norms all the time-or most of the time! She didn't search for other's approval and support of her methods of child rearing and discipline. She didn't do things so that I'd like her and think of her as my best friend (growing up). And because of that, she is my best friend now.

My mom didn't encourage me to do things that would make me more popular, but to always put God first in everything, especially when it was a hard decision and cost me in the world's opinion. She didn't push me to make something wonderful and successful of myself in the world's eyes, but to be a person who could make a difference- even a small one- in other's lives. My mom sought to do what was best for my spirit and my eternal soul. She taught me about God's love, and how to love others, as He loved us. And for that I am deeply grateful. When I wanted to go to AIM and do mission work, she didn't try to scare me or gently suggest other 'good' things; she supported me, emotionally and financially, to get me where I wanted to go, doing what I wanted to do. And when things got tough, she didn't encourage me to come home and try something different (because she really would have prefered I do something closer to home); instead, she challenged me to persevere through the hard times. Then when I took her only grandchild to the other side of the world, she loved me still! She works so that she can save money to fly half way across the world and visit, even though the climate isn't the nicest and the food is not the best! (Maybe one day we'll meet somewhere 'cool!')

In a way, I guess I compare my Mom's gift of this quilt, to the gift of a good home and Godly upbringing. It isn't a gift of something that is popular or a la mode. It doesn't make my life more convenient or easy, and won't help me get rich. But when the nights are cold, I have something warm to snuggle under, and when the days are dreary and filled with things so unfamiliar to home, this quilt is something familiar and close to my heart. It is a gift of time and love, not a gift of money or a quick purchase. It was thought out in advance and filled with memories. I want to be more like my mom in many ways. And now, each day, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have her as my mom. Thank you, Mom . . . for everything!

PS. I know my mom would want me to say, and I want to say it to: Thank you to my Uncle Tim and Aunt Susie who put it together for us. They were able to get it done quickly and expertly, putting echo stitching on it and everything! Thank you, too!