I would be the recipient of a hug quilt - never. Life was just too perfect.
The past 15 months have been rather dizzying. I quit my job of 12 plus years to buy my own little business - which I loved. One month after I opened, I had to close the shop for 10 days, and fly home, as my dad had very serious surgery and they didn't think he would make it. Well
- he did. Then, in late March, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. They did surgery in April and said they had "successfully" removed the cancer - and he rebounded - for a few months. I decided it was time to be closer to home, and in June, I put my business and my house up for sale. The business sold within a week, not so lucky on the house. Ended up renting it out last December. July was spent packing, donating, purging closets and drawers, selling, and loading everything I couldn't part with into 2 small containers to be shipped to Florida. Beginning of August, my brother flew out, we loaded up the dogs and everything I could cram into the back of my PT Cruiser, and drove
3,158 miles in four and a half days. It was crazy-hot, and I thought I'd croak - MUCH different than the beautiful, balmy, summer days in the Pacific Northwest. In November, my dad began to feel bad, and off we went to the docs again. Not only had the cancer returned, but it returned with a vengeance. It had spread to his liver, kidneys, stomach, and now they think it's creeping into his bones. Never did I think........... that I would be helping this mountain of a man, get out of his Lazy-Boy and into a wheelchair, legs shaking, to take him to the front porch to watch the birds and look at his flowers. Never did I think ........ that I would see him cry because I was going home for a few days. Never did I think.......... that I would be on my knees every night, praying to the Good Lord to let me have him for just one more day. So far, he has obliged. Never did I think.......... that I would watch him fade away to a shell of his former self. Never did I think............... that losing my dad would be such a hard and painful thing to watch. Never did I think........... that I would feel so helpless.So - I hope all of you will not be upset, when I tell you that I placed my Hug Quilt on my dad this afternoon, while he sat on the porch in his wheelchair. I wanted HIM to feel the power of love - I wanted him to enjoy the first "hug". He was quite smitten with the quilt, and thoroughly enjoyed looking at, and reading, every single block. He said it was an extraordinary thing to do - I agreed.
I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. Words simply cannot express how much this means to me. You're all the dearest people in the world, and I love you for it.
Patti (formerly) in Seattle