Stitching and Memories

First of all, I hope those of you in the USA had a great time celebrating yesterday.  We watched a great display of fireworks near our daughter's home.  What a great time we had!

I often think of the things I have stitched over the years, and I remember the time in my life when I was working on that certain piece.  Do any of you do this, too?

Due to the 4th of July holiday yesterday I thought of a patriotic piece I stitched for my son long ago. It was from the now long gone "Cross Quick" magazine.  I started this piece when my son was six and finished it when he was eight! So much for quick.   I remember dragging it along with me to many of our children's activities at that time. It was also a pattern my son chose for me to do, so that made it special as he was just a little guy then. He is now 31 years old, so that gives a time perspective, doesn't it?

Once I brought the little patriotic sampler with me to a local hairstyling place so that I could work on it while my son got his haircut.  My daughter was about 10 years old at the time, and she was probably sitting there reading a book happily by my side.  I sat working on the sampler, waiting for my son's turn.  After a while a young adult  male walked into the salon with a group of about five teens. It turned out they were from a group home of sorts.

One of the boys from the group home was entranced by my cross stitching work, and he exclaimed to me, "I can't believe you are making this for your son. How kind of you!"  It just really struck me that he was so taken with this small token of love for my son.  One could not help but wonder about the roads he had traveled in his very young life.

In time, my son outgrew having this piece on his wall. That sort of thing has never bothered me.   He allowed me to take it to my work where I hung it on the classroom wall, near the flag.  Somehow in the course of moving either classrooms or homes during the last several years it has become packed away somewhere.  I can't seem to locate this cute sampler.  Just the same, its memory stays with me. I  know it is somewhere here in our house. It didn't just walk away, right?

Patriotic Sampler- Cross Quick Magazine

Thanks for stopping by today. I do wonder, what sort of memories do you associate with your stitched pieces?