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Love in Every Stitch
by Joyce Moseley Pierce
Recently I was asked to make a lengthy
drive to help a company restore the data
on their computer. I told them what I
would charge and everything was set, or
so I thought. I packed and rearranged my
schedule to be able to go, but the night
before I was scheduled to leave, they called
to say they were agreeable to the rate, but
would not pay my travel expenses. Because
we couldn't agree on this, I chose not to
go.
When I went to bed that night I prayed about
whether or not I had made the right decision.
I wondered if I were just being greedy, but
decided it really wasn't about the money.
It just didn't feel "right" to me. Trusting
that I had gotten the answer I needed,
I went to bed.
I woke up relieved that I didn't have to make
the long drive alone and got busy working on my own
projects. I called my daughter to tell her
I was staying home. That's when she asked
if I'd do her a favor. "The dog got Chilly
and tore him in quite a few places. I was
going to take him to the alterations shop
because you were going to be gone, but if you're
home, do you think you could do fix Chilly before
Graham gets out of kindergarten?"
My heart just sank as she described Chilly's
condition. "I have plenty of time.
No one knows I'm home! Bring Chilly over and
I'll see what I can do."
When Graham was about six months old his
mother bought him this beanie doll named Chilly.
Chilly is the mascot for the Houston Aeros
ice hockey team. Chilly has been Graham's
constant companion ever since, and only
kindergarten has forced them to separate.
Chilly is considered a part of our family
is special to all of us. He has been to Mexico, Hawaii,
Disneyworld, and a variety of places. When Graham's
Uncle Spencer got married, Graham even carried
Chilly down the aisle with the ringbearer pillow!
We have wedding pictures to prove it.
I found thread that was a pretty close match
and immediately got to work on his lacerations.
Chilly had already lost a few beans, and felt limp
in my hands as I worked to restore him. I didn't hurry to
complete the job - in fact, I took my time because
while I worked, my mind was flooded with
memories of silly things we had done with Chilly
to entertain Graham and make him laugh. I didn't
want this personal slide show of memories to end.
When school was over, my daughter brought the
kids over. I had Chilly behind my back, and
when I presented him to Graham, his mouth
widened to a smile that covered his entire
face. His beautiful blue eyes sparkled.
"Oh, thank you, Grandma." He threw his arms
around me without letting go of Chilly, and that
simple gesture expressed the love that a child's
words couldn't.
I told Graham he needed to find a box to put
Chilly in when he's not being played with.
"Do you have one, Grandma?" I told him I thought
I had just what he needed, and I retrieved a
photo box with a lid from the bookshelf. I quickly
made a label that said "Chilly" and stuck it on
the end of the box. "You should take this home
and put a small towel inside so Chilly will have
his own bed. Then, when you go to school,
Chilly will be safe from the puppy."
The smile on his face widened. I even
heard a little giggle as he said, "Wow. Cool,
Grandma. Chilly will have his own bed."
Chilly is probably close to retirement. He's
well worn from being constantly held and loved.
I'm so glad I had the good sense to stay home
so that I could play a part in prolonging his
life for a little while longer.
Sometimes it doesn't matter whether you take
the road to the right or the one to the left;
sometimes you just need to make the journey
and other times, you don't need to be on
the road at all.
There are things that just feel "right," and
others that just don't feel right at all.
I've learned that if I rely on those
feelings, rather than trying to analyze and
do what I think I need to do, more often
than not, I can look back and see that I
did the right thing.
Graham is five, and one day he will grow up
and have children of his own. While he will
soon outgrow his need for Chilly, I hope he will
never forget the love he had for his constant
companion, or the love that sealed those stitches.
Copyright 2005 Joyce Moseley Pierce
Joyce is a freelance writer and owner of Emerson Publications. Her website is
designed to help and unite families at all stages of life. Please visit:
www.emersonpublications.com
Joyce is a freelance writer and owner of
Emerson Publications. Her latest release is “24 Days of Christmas,” to help
families center on the birth of Christ during the holiday season. She is also
the creator of “All They’ll Need to Know,” a book that will be invaluable to
your loved ones when you can’t be there to guide them. Visit
www.emersonpublications.com for
lots of good family-friendly information.
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