I feel fortunate that there are so many people to thank recently.
I'll start with those that helped in my search for suspenders for my dad. Thank you to Roberta and Anna for getting suspenders to my dad. Thanks to Renee and Margaret for suggestions on where to get them. Below is a picture of my dad wearing a pair of smiley face ones.
Many of you already know of the annual camping trip each July to Peninsula. This year the trip went as scheduled, but definitely NOT without a hitch. The pop-up mechanism broke on my parents' pop-up camper. So, my thanks goes out to all those who helped my mom with the broken pop-up camper: including John, Ritch, Mark, Rhys, Brian, Rick and Muriel. (Please let me know if I forgot someone since I wasn't there for the set up or take down.) Thanks also to everyone who made food for my parents during the Peninsula trip including Nancy, Mary and John. Finally, I'd like to thank all those who visited with my dad on his campsite. Many times my dad was too weak to walk around and visit with his family and friends. Several times I stopped by his site to find my dad busy chatting with one or more drop-in guests often while working on one of his quilting projects.
In the picture above my dad is quilting, too. I mentioned back in the fall that my dad was taking a quilting class with my daughter Muriel and that he had done quilting in the past. Then, in November my parents gave me a handmade queen size quilt with a Door County wildflower theme for my birthday gift. What a surprise! I was so overwhelmed with emotion initially that I didn't tell anyone about it.
I had known for some time that he was working on a quilt, but I never dreamed that he and my mom were making such a large one for me. There were times I saw him go to the Wilson Park Senior Center to work on a quilt when he was very sick and nauseated. (Remember, this was when the depression was bad and before any stents were put in.) At the time, I was angry with him. I knew he was working on a special project that I wasn't supposed to know about. But, I didn't think anything could be that important that he should go when he felt so sick even if it was a surprise for me. (I always assumed the surprise was for the whole family. I never dreamed it was just for me.) When I received the quilt, I felt embarrassed that my dad had put so much time into something for me when he felt so ill.
Of course, later my dad and mom also finished a quilt for my brother in time for Christmas. Michael's is also a queen size quilt. For his brother-in-law John, my dad made a wall hanging. And my dad has made several small wall hangings for family and friends that my parents have visited since my dad was diagnosed. (I don't know whether or not my mom did work on the wall hangings.) Currently, he's finishing a twin size quilt he and my mom made for my son Kyle's birthday gift. He still has several projects that he's hoping he'll be able to finish. Fatigue is getting the better of him more and more.
So, my biggest thank you is saved for last. Although it isn't very timely, it is important nonetheless. Thanks to my parents for the quilt they made me. It is very special.
Hopefully, I'll someday get photos of some of the quilts up on the blog. We'll see.
