History is all around....

Is it me, or does the time seem to fly past? My Grandmother always said that was a sign of ageing and perhaps she was right.

At the start of this blog I had planned to share an galaxy of historical information with you all each month. Sadly, my domestics and the loosing my Mum stopped my organic flow of writing. I became somewhat absorbed in a variety of things linked in some way to Mum. We all have our own way of dealing with death and the aftermath of something that is inevitable and yet has the power to know you so out of kilter.

A few months ago I was talking to +Tessa Keough who used the expression of "tooting your own horn".The UK equivalent is blowing your own trumpet and I much prefer the US version. Anyway, I am not one to blow my own trumpet, that involved too much breath and tooting my own horn is well, simply not done, or at least I don't feel comfortable with that. BUT, I am going to, just this month and hopefully you will see why in a paragraph or so.

Then earlier this week, I wrote the phrase, "Yesterday is already history" and indeed it is. The hardest thing I have ever done was to add my Mum's death date to my genealogy program. I can not even express how hard that was. The realisation that Mum, my Mum, had passed from being a loving living soul to an ancestor in the blink of an eye. The good genealogist in me, wrote the obituary with all the genealogical loveliness I could manage.

I then was thinking that so much of what we each do, demonstrates our character, our interests. All those little bits of randomness that take an individual with their dates, in various stages - what I call hatched, matched and dispatched (I read that somewhere, can't recall where), and turn a name and dates into an individual. A person who does all the things that we do, that unless captured are simply cast aside with the test of time.

So having set the scene, I am ready to toot my own horn.  I do hope you all ready to read, share and toot that horn with me and for yourself.

One of two quilts made by Christine Butcher
in the ownership of Julie Goucher

Anyone who has read my blog posts of late, or seen my Google+ stream will already have seen mention of this. Mum was a very keen seamstress. It took me heading into adulthood to realise just what a skill it was for Mum to make some of my dresses, knit some of my woollen clothing and create a quilt that I had on my childhood bed. I didn't see the wonder, didn't express the gratitude and didn't appreciate it for the skill and love Mum exhibited. Mum on her demise left more fabric, sewing equipment and knitting than I can shake a stick at. If you are not familiar with that saying, it means way to much!

I absolutely could not give it away. That was out of the question. It felt disloyal. So I had to keep it all. I thought I could make a quilt. Mum is I hope, looking down on me, smiling and I am sure saying you will never in a million years get those two sewing machines to work. (Mum had two, why was only known to Mum). I cast my mind back to the support, love and friendship I received whilst Mum was unwell and in the days following. Social media is phenomenal.

I thought further and realised that if we take one of life's certainties and the fact that we have all lost someone, we can each commemorate that individual. To create something that brings "alive" the wonder and love we felt for someone in a here and now concept whilst sharing an historical moment, some details of their life and contribution.

So in the spirit of "tooting my own horn" I am sharing this, that I launched last week, on the 19th anniversary of my Grandmother's death.

The In Memory of .....Quilt

All the details are on the page, the background, the idea, the how to take part and the Facebook page.
I even wrote a small presentation for those that like video's!


Please share and consider taking part. Help us to create a piece of history.

A little earlier this week, I read a post on a genealogical friend's Facebook wall about the demise of letter writing. Her late Mum was a prolific letter writer and therefore she has launched a project which is called Snail Mail Day. Then a day later I came across another project, commemorating another lost and fragile life, The Primrose Project.

These projects, enable us to give comfort to friends that are dealing with loss, they enable a legacy of a loved one to go forth into the future and most of all they commemorate an individual who meant so much to their families.

As I said, History is all around.

Until next times folks!