4/6/2005 MORGAN’S PERSPECTIVE ON GRANDMA’S QUILT STORY BY BECKY CHASE
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| Kids with their Grandma's quilts! |
Threads of Compassion
I have fond memories of my grandma Laurito. From the time I was tiny I
learned to call her "The Jelly Bean" grandma because whenever grandma
came to visit, she came with a bag full of jelly beans. Jelly beans were
always on the counter in her kitchen and in the backseat of her car. The
only thing better than a grandma that loves jelly beans is a grandma that
loves to share her jelly beans. And boy did grandma love to share!
Grandma and grandpa Laurito didn't live near my family until three years
before grandma my died. They had lived in NJ for more than 30 years but
that was too far away from their children and grandchildren in Utah so
they finally packed up and moved out. I was so excited. I loved visiting
with them. A trip to grandma's house meant swimming in the pool, playing
dress-up in grandma's old hats and dresses, playing with mom's old toys,
and eating all the candy we could get our hands on, which of course,
included jelly beans!
I remember when Mom told me that grandma wasn't feeling well. I thought
that she was sick and would get better. But Mom explained that grandma
probably wouldn't get better. Something called cancer was destroying
grandma's body and making her very sick. Soon, Mom said, the cancer would
take grandma's life and she would go to live with Heavenly Father. That
made me so sad. I didn't want grandma to go anywhere. From then on I
treated grandma a little differently. I drew special pictures for her so
she'd know how much I loved her; I rubbed her back for her when she
wasn't feeling well; and I hugged her tighter and longer when it was time
to say good-bye.
I remember one night, several months before grandma died, she fell
outside my house as she and grandpa were trying to go home. I ran to help
grandma but she was just lying in the street. It scared me. Grandma had
broken her nose and scraped her arms and her face. All I could do was hug
her. But I know she appreciated it. I realized that grandma really was
fragile and maybe Mom was right about grandma not being with us for much
longer.
But as sick as grandma was, I noticed that she tried hard not to seem
sick. Grandma had learned to quilt recently and wanted to make a special
quilt for each of her eleven grandchildren. When she started the quilt,
and during the months she worked on them, she was was sure she could
finish. Every time grandma came to visit, she now brought quilting fabric
instead of jelly beans. Every time we went to visit her, she would show
us how much progress she had made on the quilts. By the time grandma
finished the first quilt top, great sisters in the ward had learned of
her new project. One sister came and set up a quilting frame in grandma's
living room so Mom and her sisters could tie the quilt. The frame took up
half the living room and it was fun to play with my cousins under the
quilt as my mom and my aunts tied it. Meanwhile, grandma sat and
continued quilting. She seemed more weak with every stitch, but she was
determined to give a quilt to each grandchild.
The sisters in her ward were in constant communication with grandma so
they saw how her declined as well. Grandma was able to finish the quilt
tops for all 6 boys before the sisters came and took the quilts, telling
grandma they would quilt them for her. Shortly after, the sisters came
back and took grandma's fabric for her five granddaughters' quilts and
promised they would start and finish those quilts for her. Grandma called
my mom and told her how pleased she was that the sisters were going to
finish the quilts for her. She felt so relieved. Grandma could hardly
speak to Mom that day but the words she did speak were praises of the
sisters in her ward who did so much to help her.
Two days later grandma Laurito passed away. In all our sorrow came
another bright ray from the sisters of grandma's ward. As they surrounded
our family that day and continued to serve us, they then promised to have
all five quilts for the granddaughters' completed and on display for
grandma's funeral later that week. They had not even started the girls
quilts yet. More than 50 sisters met that week to finish the quilts that
were so important to my grandma.
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| Kids' with their Grandma's quilts |
In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these...ye have done it
unto me.
I hope we never forget the example of love and compassion that was shown
to our grandma and to us. And that we too will share the love and
compassion that was shared with us.
As we left the funeral, each of her eleven grandchildren was able to take
home a quilt, hand-made, with love, by grandma and the sisters in her
ward. And that night, each grandchild slept wrapped, not only in
grandma's quilt, but wrapped in grandma's love.
