A box from Alaska
My dear sweet sister Mary lived the life that most would
only dream about, but never really have the ‘guts’ to make it happen. She decided after a short time in college,
that the University of Life could offer her more education and adventure, and
that she could build her own curriculum.
Mary worked in the port town of Skagway, Alaska from spring
to fall and would take winters off to travel the world. She went to Peru, South
America regularly spending her time working in Orphanages, traveled to
Australia a few times, and also to Africa to meet the young lady that she had
sponsored and put through school. She spoke fluent Spanish, was pretty darned
good at Swahili and I just learned from my Dad that a friend was teaching her
to speak Inuit (Eskimo). During her travels, she purchased many trinkets,
fabrics, yarns and other findings with the eventual plan of opening up her own
shop.
Mary left us much too early in 2010, but left us with so
many life lessons, the most important of which is to truly chase and achieve
your dreams. Her Ohana took her during the summer of 2013 to her favorite place
stream and mountain in Alaska to spread her ashes, and even though I wasn’t
able to be there with them in person, know that she was free to spread her
wings and fly with the eagles. I know her view is amazing.
Eventually her Ohana at the gift shop she helped to manage,
sold most of her trinkets and findings. There was one box left, one that held
brightly colored fabrics from her travels, by which I could feel her sense of
excitement from just the touch of each piece. My Father brought the box to me
during his visit this past Thanksgiving and said that he knew I would know what
to do with it.
I knew that if I had just left it sit in the box, there
would never be any questions from Dad. I looked at the fabric from time to time
and thought that maybe I would become crafty again, but woke up quickly from
that dream. Coincidentally (remember that ‘coincidence is God being anonymous’)
a dear friend posted a photo of a quilt made by her friend Dawn for their first
grandchild. As it turns out, Dawn creates quilts on a professional basis and we
love to support local business.
My sister Sara and I talked about the quilt and agreed that
this gift is not one that should wait for a birthday or Christmas, but rather
be presented as soon as it was complete. So, on June 7th, I made the
trek to Dawn’s house and instantly felt like I had known her for years. Her and
her husband’s love story was much like Robert and mine. She was genuinely
interested in Mary’s story and my Father’s too. By the time I left, I think
that she was already laying out the brightly colored fabrics. And on June 29th,
I received the call that the quilt was finished. I was as giddy as a little
girl as we text back and forth arranging a time to meet.
So, tonight we presented the quilt to my Father, and the
look on his face told the story. I am grateful to know that at night when he
lays sleeping under this quilt of love, he will dream of the little girl who
was brave enough to chase her dreams. Sweet dreams.
#KeepLookingUp
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