The Empowered Educator

Inspiring ideas, training and resources for early learning.

A Gift from the Past….

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A parcel arrived this week and it had me reflecting on family history and how important the past can be to the present thread of family life.

The toddler twosomes' Dad (and my ever patient partner) unfortunately no longer has his parents here on earth with us. Neither of them saw the twins born and i know i have cried a few tears over this but i like to believe they are watching…and they see somehow.

I enjoyed getting to know his Dad when his patient self and i first met but sadly he passed a few years ago. I saw and still see so many wonderful similarities between Father and Son and i can only imagine the pain of losing a parent….but to lose your only remaining parent i know was just unimaginable.

My beautiful man lost his mother to leukaemia when he was just 4 yrs old and his brother a few years older….so he was very close with his Dad. I therefore never got to meet my ‘mother-in-law' but i have tried to learn a bit about her over the years. She seems like she would have been a very patient person as she married an Indian man with a very traditional mother…and then had to live in the same house for quite a time. There was resistance from his grandmother when i began seeing His Patient Self so i can only imagine the stresses she may have gone through back then culturally and emotionally.

But this post wasn't to be about wallowing in sadness….the whole reason for me writing is because of this beautiful gift we received in the mail this week…..
After his Dad died and we were cleaning out the house i found an old craft bag of his Mum's….it contained some unfinished needlework and some knitting and needles…..this find transported me back in time and i imagined her sitting and working this beautiful design before getting sick and i felt i knew her a little better….i know now that she loved to knit and embroider…….
We gave the unfinished pieces to her surviving sister as i thought she might like this piece of the past that had suddenly resurfaced. This week she returned the set to us all finished…so very kind and touching of her!. She had a tough time matching all of the colours (been over 30 years!) but i think it is exquisite and i am just so happy to have this piece of family history in our home. One day i will be able to tell the twins that their grandmother started this many years ago….I'm thinking not long after she was married judging by the design!
I've also often pulled out these two squares of knitting that were also in the bag with these needles and i wonder what she was making…..one is  a lovely yellow and one a soft pink.
I'm only a beginner knitter so I'm not even sure of the stitches…both wools are so soft and i imagine they would have been something for children…..
I love the pattern on this piece…anyone able to tell me what stitch it is possibly? Bit hard with this photo i know!
I look at this knitting and i wonder about the pain she must have felt as a mother to be sitting in a hospital bed in the city far away from her beautiful boys knowing that she might never see them grow up. A mother's biggest fear and my heart squeezes at the despair she must have felt. But then i feel as though she would have put on the bravest front for them too and i know she did her best to reassure them right to the end. I'm going to hold onto these pieces ….i dream that one day i might be able to knit something from them for her granddaughters….i just feel she would like and appreciate that…i so wish she could have seen them and the wonderful man and father her son has grown into.
Until the day i am good enough to step into her knitting shoes i will continue to practice stitches with simple projects like this little doll's blanket for the toddler twosome. I feel a sense of peace when i am using these old needles though and sometimes feel a presence over my shoulder….i hope she is happy with how i am looking after her family……
And i thank her for the little pieces of family history she left behind….they are cherished xxx.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend x

Warm Wishes

Comments

  1. Twins Squared says

    What a wonderful and touching post, and what an amazing discovery! I’m sure your mother in law would be so proud and pleased to have you married to her son.

    Reply

  2. Busy mum of 3 says

    What a heart wrenching post. It is so respectful of you to care and cherish these pieces, I’m sure your mother in law would be pleased, and your husband must appreciate it too.

    Reply

    • Jode says

      I hope so…he doesn’t show much emotion about these things but i saw his eyes when they arrived in the post and i know he was happy they came back to us!

      Reply

  4. Catherine says

    Jode you have a way with words and I can tell how much getting these pieces means to you and I bet to your mother in law as well. Enjoy using these beautiful treasures. xx

    Reply

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