When I was little I didn't think of grownups as having bare skin; grownups were made of wool clothing, only kids were bare-naked; now I'm older than they were when I was little and I lie naked under a quilt made of their clothes when they were children. I don't know what makes me think I'm smarter than them.Garrison KeillorLeaving Home
My grandmother made quilts because--during the Great Depression--winters were cold; you needed quilts to stay warm in the winter; and if you wanted a quilt, you had to make one. And each child or grandchild needed at least one quilt to make his or her future home a real home, with a tangible reminder of the skills, time, and love that it took to produce these warm, lovely possessions.
One of the quilts that I see in my home today incorporates a few remnants of a dress that I remember well from the times during the 1950's that my mother used to wear it. Now, with my mother in her twilight years, that quilt is a constant remember of my childhood, during my parents' youth. And every time I read that quote from Garrison Keillor, I am reminded of the poignant significance of quilts in the personal histories that make up the rich heritage of many generations of Americans.
How fitting, then, that a group of women who support Barack Obama's candidacy for President of the United States came together recently in common purpose to produce what will undoubtedly be a timeless memorial to the hope represented by his campaign. Not only are they creating this beautiful quilt, but they are giving it away. Perhaps the winner will donate it to the Obama campaign, or the Obama White House, or to the Obama Presidential Library. There's a good chance it will, at least, visit the Democratic Convention a month from now in Denver.
The Party is about to nominate a man who has the potential of my grandparents' Roosevelt, my parents' Kennedy, my generation's RFK. Change and hope are in the air, and the concomitant emotions are being woven into a quilt that may become one of the important threads of history's very fabric.
This is my little girl. Like Barack Obama, she is an "old soul," and understands the significance of important events and the artifacts of them.She turned 4 in May. Behind her right shoulder is a faded blue quilt that her mother (my wife) made before I met her in 1995. Just yesterday I took a nap under that quilt, and it--like the other quilts in our home--will always be among our most treasured keepsakes.
I would love to possess the new Barack Obama quilt. But in a sense it belongs to all of us who have become a part of this broad new movement in the American political story. The story, and the quilt, will in many ways belong to the nation.
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