A legacy

I've been thinking a lot recently about legacies. More specifically, the legacy that people leave behind when their time here is through. A month ago, my grandmother, who had been struggling with Alzheimer's, passed away. As part of Grandma Belle's estate, my mom gave each of the grandchildren a generous gift and asked each of us to purchase something in her honor. Something to honor her memory and that would have brought her great joy. When you think about it, that's a big charge. How do you honor someone's 86 years of life!?

After a lot of thought, I decided to buy a new, more advanced sewing machine that would allow me to accomplish a greater scope of work -- especially fashion projects than I could have with my old machine.

While my grandmother never taught me to sew, it was one of her passions and something she passed on to my mom, which recently trickled down to me. Unfortunately I was not interested in sewing during the years that Grandma Belle was an active seamstress. Looking back now, I would have loved to of had a sewing session with my Grandma Belle. To see what tips she had learned from her mother and grandmother, play with her button collection and see the projects she was working on.

I can only imagine what she would say about this machine if Grandma were here. I know she would love this sewing machine. She would say in her sweet midwestern accent how advanced it was and how much things had changed since her first machine. She would sit behind the machine to try it out and no doubt softly bite her lip as she did sometimes.

This gift is more than a machine. It's an opportunity to escape stress, to honor friends who I love with handmade gifts and to challenge myself. And from this gift I look forward to moments ahead of calmness, challenges and inspiration. Just as Grandma Belle would have wanted.