A Stitch in Time Part Two

Dear Diary,

This is a small section of a 150 year old quilt top. Started around the time of the Civil War, it was never finished. I've used it under the Christmas tree for years. I took it to school one time and my students did an estimating lesson to determine approximately how many little pieces it contained....over 10,000! Everyone of those pieces has a story...the clothes that were worn out and cut up...the buttons saved in the button box.

Family legend has it that it was started during the Civil War and never finished because the husband came home wounded and needed care. It was put away in a trunk and that was that.

I've always wondered why it was never finished. Maybe it was just forgotten. It is one of those family mysteries. All families have these untold stories that future generations will wonder about. I wonder mostly about the people...what did they feel, how did they live their lives, what kind of person were they.

This journal is my quilt. Piece by piece, photograph by photograph, I will build a picture of my life lived one day at a time. At least my ancestors, when they look through the book, will know a bit about me. It is a comforting thought.

Looking back and looking forward but living for today...