Sent with love...

Every so often we are greeted by our endearing mailman with a brown paper package all wrapped up with strings. Truly, it is one of our favorite things. :)

 

 

This winter we received another bundle of hand-stitched love from the far off tundra of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where my sweet Grandma Joan busies herself with gardening, canning, sewing, and in the coldest of seasons, the knitting needles and crochet hooks are flying.

 

 

Some of my earliest memories are wrapped up in sweet hand-made gifts from my Grandma.  Sweaters, Cabbage Patch dolls, hats and gloves. Some crazy, like a snowman hat complete with styrofoam balls that stacked on my head. Some so sweet and precious, I wish I still had them to hug like my specifically requested pink sweater with a black kitty on the front. My Grandma Joan sure did love me. :)

Now, as a mom, I get to share those sweet hand-made lovies with my whole family.  From afghans to quilts, from pj's to bonnets, and, this year, adorable hats to enjoy, we are *always* excited to open a box from Great-Grandma Joan. 

Wanna hear something pretty neat about my sweet grandmother?  She takes requests. And, not only does she take requests, she takes them via facebook!  Yep, I have one cool and hip grandma who keeps up with the times and her family in a fast and convenient way.  So, my request for this adorable flapper and a cutie owl hat were happily received. 

I think of this matriarch so much as I work to learn to tend my family well. She may live half a country away. I may only see her every few years.  Still, I get excited when I see the seeds we plant come up and think, "Hey, Grandma Joan can do that."  If I try my hand at a new recipe "from scratch" I can't help but think of my Grandma and her many culinary skills like canning, making horseradish sauce (oh!! the smell!!) and my personal fav, "Ice Keem and Chocky-sauce".  And, when I sit to stitching, I always remember my Grandma sitting me down because it was "time I learned" and I'm so glad she did.  One day, I'll be the grandmother. I'll be the one setting the example, sharing what I've learned, working my fingers to show my love. And, if the Lord enables, I may even be That Grandmother, the one I so fondly admire and enjoy.

My Grandma Joan sure does love me.  And, that kind of love, even from afar, warms my heart long past the winter months.

 

"She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle."  Proverbs 31:19