Originally Posted by Glenn
Olebat, don't you just love the stories the elderly tell and the way they tell them. This 80 year old women will most likey tell you more when you go get more fabric and sewing things from her. I could listen to them for days. They can teach us a lot about life in the stories they tell. Glenn
A wise hospital commander addressed our nursing department in the early 70's. He said, "When a gummer wants to talk, take time to listen." He went on to explain the many reasons we should listen. The first was that they had so much to teach us. Another was that they had seen things which were not out of their system, (this was later to be called post traumatic stress disorder,). Somewhere in the list was, they are lonely and without family or friends. In a comical conclusion, he talked about how they've lost it and are hoping that we can help them find it.
This ole sweetie had 10 children, a husband who died only seven years ago, a sewing career, and is frequently visited by daughters and sons and their families. Her only trauma seems to be having left Ithaca, NY and moving to the sticks in GA. However, at her age, she's seen the passing of her peeps, and is reading the cards. As she looked at her heaps of fabric, I could relate to the thoughts, "So much fabric, so little time." She was saddened that no one in the family sewed like she did, and the subject turned. Do they not sew, make drapes, clothes, bedding, ruffles & lace? ??? Her girlfriends sewed, thats why they swapped machines around. She treasures the old ways, and is pleased that her things will be used to educate children in timeless tradition.
I hope I can live up to her expectations and standards. Most of the kids with whom I work have short attention spans, (unless they are playing with one of those little hand-held games or a telephone,) and getting a pot holder made can be tedious. I have a new crop of students who seem interested in fashion design, and several want to dabble with home decor. Fortunately, when I say, "Your service project will be, Quilts for Kids, or nursing home lap quilts, pick one," I think they'll get excited. They usually do.