an heirloom quilt is no match for a child’s imagination

Kids are great at pretend play! They can be anything they want anytime. One moment we’re saved by Batman and another moment we are being chased by a tyrannosaurus. Ten minutes later, we find ourselves talking to Matilda, the intellectual spider that apparently resides in the family’s hall closet.

Our son, Elijah was no exception. He went through a period of time when he was a wizard. You can imagine the conversations we had. Sometimes his wizardry skills, or lack thereof, got him into immense trouble.

Let’s jump back in time a little bit. Over twenty years before this day of wizardry, my mom spent countless hours making me a quilt with hand painted fabric. She never finished it. When my daughters were born, she took this single quilt and split it into two - one for each of them. The quilts were one of a kind and beautiful.

Several Washes In, Norway Still Has Ink

So, why would a young wizard think that it was a good idea to take his inkwell full of black ink onto these precious heirloom quilts? Elijah was stuck in his pretend world pursuing his wizard dreams. He quickly came back to reality, when his magic wand couldn’t remove the ink and his mother was furious.

Lesson learned. An heirloom quilt is no match for a child’s imagination. Over 10 years later, the quilt is still full of ink, now in pieces, and waiting for another day to be useful and treasured.

The child, however, is tireless. There is no more pretend play with make believe dreams, but now hours of real dreams and planning. Elijah isn’t a 7 year-old wizard anymore, he is a twenty-one year-old man diligently pursuing his dreams.

When was the last time you dropped into a pretend world with a small prince or princess? Or better yet, when was the last time you stepped away from all the demands of life, had a cup of coffee and dreamt about your future? Be twenty-one again with me, let’s run toward our dreams and make them happen.

All is takes is a little grit and gumption, and perhaps a ruined heirloom quilt.

Searching for wisdom and asking for grace,

Jody