Life is Like an Old Crazy Quilt

Today I got out an old crazy quilt that I bought at an antique auction years ago.  I wanted to put it on the bed in the front guest bedroom but had to hand wash it in the bathtub first and then put it out on the line to dry.  I would never put this beautiful old quilt through the washer or dryer where it would be harshly twisted and beaten...I'm afraid it would fall apart.  It needs to be handled gently and with care.  As I was taking the quilt down off the line and checking to make sure there was no damage to it that needed mending, it got me to thinking how life is like an old crazy quilt.  

In the days that this quilt was made, they did not run out and buy new fabric just to cut it up and make a quilt.  Quilts were made with fabric taken from worn out, outgrown or ripped pieces of clothing, tablecloths, curtains and even flour bags.
Nothing was wasted.  Each piece of fabric represents something, someone or some event in that family's life.
Each piece of fabric, no matter how small, it important to this quilt.  It would not be "whole" without it.  

Our lives are like that...each event, not matter how small, it important.  It helps mold us into the person we are.  Our relationships with others, our education, a scene that caught our eye and that we tried to recreate later, the way the rain makes you feel on a hot day, the aroma of freshly baked cookies that instantly transports you back in time to your mother's kitchen, a special book given to you by your beloved grandmother, family heirlooms, a found letter from a cherished friend, a kind and encouraging word...all of these things, on their own, may not mean much, but pieced together over time form the "crazy quilt" that is your life.  I must admit, the "crazy" part fits well doesn't it?  After all, who has a completely calm life without any craziness in it? ;)  Maybe that is why I love these old crazy quilts so much...they represent me! :D