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I could not very well leave it sitting there taking up space-especially as bulky as it was. When you're trying to live simply, there is just no room for extra stuff clogging up life. Everything in our life has to pull it's weight in some fashion. Each item has to serve the family, serve God, or feed the spirit through its beauty.
I was attached to it in ways that did not fit the definition of useful. It was not being used in any way, so it served no one. It had long since left off being beautiful. Yet, I was unable get rid of it, either. Everything about it reminded me of Her.
As a child, my family lived intermittently with my paternal grandparents. Their home being tiny, I shared a bed with my grandmother. During a traumatic childhood, my grandmother was a stable always-there-always-the-same influence from my child-sized view. That old white comforter always brought memories of the safe, cozy feeling I had slumbering in that high bed of hers.
Many years ago, the white comforter was fluffy and full, with the daintiest wide eyelet lace around the edges. Not able to bear parting with it, I determined to remake it. It was threadbare inside, and needed mending anyway, so I used it to make a "new" comforter for my girls' bed. Although I cut off the wide eyelet lace to make the girls "new" petticoats, the memories stayed firmly attached.
The girls shared a double bed, which slightly cut down the size of the queen sized cover. Even in its diminutive state, I would remember my grandma every time I cuddled in their bed and read to the girls. When I tucked them in at night, I would wonder how she would have doted on them.
My ladies used it for many years until we moved them into twin beds. The comforter went back to the linen closet, with only brief service in the guest room. It still did not fit the definition enough to justify keeping it, yet I still could not say goodbye.
Years and use have been unkind to my grandma's old white comforter, but the entrance of our third daughter has allowed the comforter a third life. It has been remade again into a comforter for our littlest lady. The batting that had worn out around the edges has been cut off, and it has shrunk to a twin size now, but it is still beautiful to me.
In its next life, it will probably be two crib comforters for the twins my children keep wishing on me. I'm glad I'm sitting down...
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