Naptha Soap

I inherited a beautiful quilt from my mother. It is an applique quilt with thousands of neat perfect stitches in wonderful patterns all over it. She got the quilt from her mother who found it at a yard sale wrapped around an old greasy motorcycle. The man couldn't believe she wanted the stained decrepid thing when she asked if it was for sale, so he gave it to her for free.

My grandmother then proceeded to use all the time honored cleaning techniques that had been passed down over generations to get the majority of the stains out of the mostly white quilt. She did a marvelous job. But some stains remained, just enough to make you realize this quilt has had some adventures.

Once I got it appraised and was told it was hand quilted and they were most impressed at the workmanship. It appraised for about four hundred dollars. Now I had to decide what to do with it. Should I put in on the bed and use it everyday? Should I put it away, carefully stored against wear and tear and keep it as an investment? I decided it was too beautiful to lock away, so on the bed it went.

I love sleeping beneath this quilt. It is so soft to feel. It is so pretty to look at. But sure enough as the days went by, I would hear a stitch occasionally give way. And then another and another. But I think that is what life is all about.

I have tried to make my life a beautiful life. A comfortable one to wrap around people. But there I was, a little worse for wear, with stitches popping out everywhere. I was hitting what would be called the 'antique" years, stained with tears, and the grime of living. But just like this quilt, I was rescued from the trials and tribulations of life and made clean again with love and understanding. God has Naptha soaped my soul and made me useful again. He has sent me a new family to wrap with warm and hold together with the threads of love. I feel so fortunate to have this quilt. And my new life. They are both prized possessions worth more than I could have ever thought possible. I feel warmly wrapped in the past as I look forward to my future.

Happy New Year!