Generations

My grandmother sewed and knitted for practical reasons. She was also frugal and had a staunch work ethic. In the summer, my parents would send me to her so they could focus on the farm. Before school started, she made me an outfit, usually only one since it took her a long time to measure and fit and sew and remeasure. I can easily recall the needles pricking my skin through the many fittings.  

After she died, I took her thread spools. For years I did not use them. That was how we used to treat generational treasures. One day I made a patch on a pair of jeans. I looked at her spools with fondness and nostalgia and in one fast move threaded one of them onto the machine. From that day on, I only used her spools. I am in my fifties. They might last the rest of my lifetime. My regard for generational treasures shifted. I now knit, sew, glue or use them in my daily life. In a painful and mature retrospect, I am aware of my need and so wish to have her and other family members in my daily life.