Thank you all for your lovely comments about my last blog post. Reading all your comments and feeling the love in your words means so much to me. Truly! (If you didn’t read my last post, you can read it by CLICKING HERE.
There’s a little more to the Christmas gifting story I’d like to share.
I wanted to do something special for Tim at Christmas and also for his sweet granddaughter, Maddie, who I met briefly at Bill’s Memorial Service last year. You see, Maddie and Bill were very close and she even spoke at the Celebration of Life for Bill, which was so beautiful.
So this past November I asked Tim if he would send me a few of Bill’s button down shirts. When they arrived, Tim had included a handwritten note on one of the button down shirts saying Bill wore it every holiday and it was Maddie’s favorite. Of course, I knew I had to use that shirt to make a Memory Pillow for Maddie!
I sewed the other two shirts into Memory Pillows for Tim and sent them all back to Georgia in time for Christmas.
(I did a FREE video tutorial on how to make a Memorial Pillow from button down shirts. You can see it by CLICKING HERE.)
Right after Christmas, Tim’s daughter-in-law posted these precious photos on Facebook. She wrote that when Maddie opened her Memorial Pillow from Bill’s shirt, everyone in the room had tears in their eyes! But for me, seeing the happiness and love on this sweet young lady’s face means everything to me. She now has a special keepsake of her “Pa” and Tim also has something tangible to rest his head on to think of Bill.
Maddie with Bill, who is wearing the special “holiday” shirt.
Maddie holding her special “Pa” pillow.
I’m so grateful to have simply been a small part of making this happen. Handmade gifts are the best, don’t you think? I’m honored by Tim’s heartfelt gift of the cross stitch door hangings. And I’m very happy I was able to share something meaningful with Tim and his granddaughter, too. My heart is full.
What a wonderful sentiment!
Dear Kimberly, it’s what you give out that returns to you in abundance. You’re such a thoughtful, loving, giving, empathic person, so people are drawn to you and return the love tenfold. How lovely that you and Bill reconnected and how lovely it is for Tim to be accepted and loved by Bill’s family. The memory shirt pillow is one more way for your relationship to deepen.
And I love seeing your beautiful face in tears…and it made me tear up too! We’re both softies! (with very patient, loving husbands…!)
And the love continues, what a beautiful thing you did. Look at the smile on Maddie’s face, Priceless. What a story of holiday and family love!!! Love your story!
What a beautiful story. You are all blessed by the gifts each have to share.
Beautiful Kimberly. What a wonderful tribute to your brother. May you find peace even in these troubling times. Thanks for all you do to bring peace to us. I so much enjoy your tutorials, your smile and positive “can-do” attitude. It is always a ray of sunshine in my day.
LOVE!
Such an important family story of live to share. Thank you! Best wishes to you in all that you do to make our world a better place.