I'd like to share a story about George and Maggie from the book "Tea Time Stories for Women" by Linda Evans Shepherd.
George, a very old man who had been placed in a nursing home by his family, was a sad case. Nobody ever came in to see him. One day he stopped talking and refused to leave his room. He was cooperative enough with the staff and functional enough to take care of himself. He continued to eat and bathe. But he became a mute recluse, sitting alone in his room in his rocking chair all day, staring out the window. The staff decided he had the right to live as he wished, so they let him be.
A woman resident - Maggie - had taken an interest in Georgem and when he disappeared, she went in to visit with him. He didn't seem to mind, but he didn't respond either. She started working on a quilt and, over time she moved her handiwork little by little into his room.
She spent her days sewing and telling her life story, while he sat staring out the window. She had been in Vaudeville. She had a million stories and was very happy to have someone to listen to her. Nobody knew what he thought. He sat and stared. She talked. Months went by.
When Maggie finished the quilt, it was put on display in the main lobby of the nursing home. People said it was one of the most beautiful quilts they had ever seen. She was especially proud since it was the only quilt she had ever made.
The same week the quilt was finished, George passed away. In the drawer of his nightstand, the staff found an envelope marked "To be opened when I die" The note inside said only, "Tell Maggie I love her". When they told her, she cried as if her heart would break. She had loved him, too. She had made the quilt just for him.
And that is why George was burried wrapped in Maggie's quilt. Sad isn't it? I was teary eyed when I read this. :'(
George, a very old man who had been placed in a nursing home by his family, was a sad case. Nobody ever came in to see him. One day he stopped talking and refused to leave his room. He was cooperative enough with the staff and functional enough to take care of himself. He continued to eat and bathe. But he became a mute recluse, sitting alone in his room in his rocking chair all day, staring out the window. The staff decided he had the right to live as he wished, so they let him be.
A woman resident - Maggie - had taken an interest in Georgem and when he disappeared, she went in to visit with him. He didn't seem to mind, but he didn't respond either. She started working on a quilt and, over time she moved her handiwork little by little into his room.
She spent her days sewing and telling her life story, while he sat staring out the window. She had been in Vaudeville. She had a million stories and was very happy to have someone to listen to her. Nobody knew what he thought. He sat and stared. She talked. Months went by.
When Maggie finished the quilt, it was put on display in the main lobby of the nursing home. People said it was one of the most beautiful quilts they had ever seen. She was especially proud since it was the only quilt she had ever made.
The same week the quilt was finished, George passed away. In the drawer of his nightstand, the staff found an envelope marked "To be opened when I die" The note inside said only, "Tell Maggie I love her". When they told her, she cried as if her heart would break. She had loved him, too. She had made the quilt just for him.
And that is why George was burried wrapped in Maggie's quilt. Sad isn't it? I was teary eyed when I read this. :'(
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