CNY Inspirations: Quilts are the fabric of our lives - syracuse.com

Nov 02, 2024

The Rev. Suzi Harriff(Provided by Author)

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Looking at the quilt my great-grandmother left me, I’m grateful for the memories each piece of fabric contains – weddings, births, baptisms, school, work, play, church... Given her faith and her active commitment to her church, I expect she created this over some time in a “quilting bee.”

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The name evokes the image of worker bees in a hive making honey, each doing their part to create something for all. That seems like an apt description of neighbors and friends coming together to share scraps of material and create quilts for each other and family members out of their gathered memories.

I believe my great-grandmother, and those who quilted with her, shared their lives as they sewed their hopes, their longings, and their dreams for their children and grandchildren into every stitch, weaving the past together with the future, labor, and a legacy of love.

The Rev. Suzi Harriff is a pastoral partner at Mission Hope Community in Camillus.

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