Springfield, MO Pandemic

Travels with the Quilt

For years, I took the Quilt with me when I traveled. I'd make arrangements ahead of time to volunteer at a school, or a retirement center, in whatever town/city we were visiting. 

I filled a book with some of the photos, from my Quilt Adventures. 

Local Quilt Time

Until 2020, I was also doing regular volunteering with local groups. I remember doing a boat theme in February of 2020. It was a fun one with my Senior group. That night I called my dad in Missouri. I told him about it my Quilt Group that day and the boat memories they shared. I wanted to hear his. 

Dad surprised me with his enthusiasm. He talked about commuting on the Staten Island Ferry... which had us both recalling the sounds of seagulls and smells of hotdogs and sauerkraut. Dad remembered fishing from Uncle Morris' rowboat. I reminded him that I learned to waterski behind Uncle Bob's speedboat. We had so much fun talking, that Dad actually agreed to have me come to his Assisted Living facility in Missouri for a Quilt Session. I was floored. Dad usually rolls his eyes at Bingo and other social activities. But he was game.

​Covid

But it never happened. Days after we spoke, the craziness of the Pandemic was suddenly upon us.   

Dad was in lockdown at his facility, where 2 of his friends died suddenly. Residents were isolated in their efficiency apartments for months. Meals were brought to the rooms and phones became the only connection with friends and family. Dad and I talked daily, but his landline gave no visuals. We described our worlds to each other. Birds at the feeder... new leaves in spring... I worried over his isolation, but felt more connected in many ways. We never had daily talks before. 

Picnic October 2020

It was over a half year, before Don and I talked about making a safe trip from Texas to Missouri. We wouldn't be allowed inside his facility, but we had permission to take Dad out on a picnic. I thought about the quilt.

In months before, I'd shared stories about the Quilt, during our phone chats. He knew I regularly used it to gather groups. He'd heard a little about all the places the Quilt had been. Mexico and Chile, California and Iowa. He was my captive audience on those phone calls. I rambled a lot.

After many months, folded up in a closet, I suddenly spread the freshly laundered quilt on a picnic table in Springfield, Missouri. Kids call it the Magic Quilt. And it often does magically bring kids and adults closer together, as we gather around it and share activities. I hoped for some magic with our Pandemic picnic, but you never know with Dad. 

For a good 20 minutes our Quilt Theme was all about Steak-n-Shake! We oooed and ahhhed over the burgers and fries and shakes, fresh from the drive-thru. 

It felt so good to be at that table. The air never felt so pleasant and the fast food picnic couldn't have tasted better. 

Dad gave the Quilt a proper look and he seemed pleased to finally see it after all my talk. He was just curious enough to satisfy me. But this really wasn't about the Quilt. After 7+ months of daily calls, it was really about being together in person. Having conversations and seeing each other's expressions. Now that was magical!

When our backs tired of the wood bench, we moved to chairs.

We kept a safe distance (as we'd promised) and chatted some more.

When our voices tired, we looked through books and photos and laughed at videos of Dad's 2 great grandkids, on my cellphone. 
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​As we packed up to leave, I noticed a yellow sign.

I guess we did as the sign suggested. Let's Be Together-ish.  

I'm sad thinking back, that I never pulled off a group Quilt Gathering at Dad's facility. It's 2024, nearly a year since Dad passed. But I'm glad the Quilt made it to Missouri. I'm glad I have a memory of sitting around the old patchwork thing with Dad, on a beautiful October afternoon. I miss him.
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