Odd Thrifting Moment

Above you see a typical thrifting scene...

someone else's cast-off's that could become your treasure.

The very odd thing for me

was when I walked into this particular store.....

that the quilt you see?

It once belonged to me.

It was made by my paternal grandmother

probably back in the depression days-or shortly thereafter-

made of thriftily saved pieces and parts of discarded woolen clothing.

My reasons for passing this treasure on

include the fact that I had kept it in a box for probably 25 years

and didn't even remember I had it until I was cleaning out a storage shed...

it is old and fragile and would not withstand the cleaning it needed...

we already have enough warm winter blankets & comforts...

we need to downsize and can't keep everything...

Before I donated it to my favorite charity,

 I did take time to photograph it.

I love the autumn-ish colors and simple artistry

of a thrifted comfort from days past,

when our grandmothers stayed home

and cared for their families 

by "using it up, wearing it out, making it do or doing without."

When I saw it displayed in the thrift store a few weeks after I had donated it,

I must admit I choked up and had tears in my eyes...

not because I missed the quilt,

rather the emotion of seeing my grandmother's handiwork

displayed so beautifully---as it should be!

I truly do not wish to have it back...

and I was so happy that the store had not thrown it away.

The way  they chose to display it and the price tag attached

honored my grandmother's creativity and labor

in a way that I could not.

The manager told me that a customer had come in twice and looked at it,

she really wanted it for a room she was redecorating...

my greatest wish is that it go to a home where it will be loved and used!

I walked away from that store a freer woman.

I know now, that things are separate from people and relationships.

I don't have to keep things in order to keep memories...

The people I have loved and the time we have shared

will always be in my heart and my mind.

I am grateful for the photos I have,

they satisfy my desire to "keep" bits of my past

that I no longer need or use,

and they take up so much less space!

And so I am content.

But it was an odd moment...