Heartstrings

Several years ago, this sweet little project was given to me by my dear friend Suzanne Sawko.  The stuffed 8″ heart carries the message:

“Mothers and daughters are tied together with heart strings.”

The appliqued hearts of  blue pima gingham and floral lawn are simply ironed on with Wonder Under. The embellished front and gingham back are seamed by machine, while the text is machine embroidered. But the blanket stitch around the perimeter was done by hand, as was the  running stitch “heart strings”  which illustrate the sentiment.

The tender thought and its textile presentation certainly warmed my heart, which Suzanne knew had a hole in it that August when my daughter went off to the University of Florida.

Rebecca and I have always been very close, so the 90 miles that separated us seemed like a continent.  I missed hearing every detail of her day and her plans for tomorrow.  And I worried. Our 18 year-old was smart and wisely cautious, but her father and I knew we were no longer able to shield her from harm.  Only her own good sense, our prayers and God’s grace could protect her. 

As many of you already know, children never really “come home” after they go off to college.  They flit in and out of the house for holidays and occasional weekends, but their real life is far away.  And that’s as it should be.

After her freshman year, Rebecca spent one summer in Paris studying at The Sourbonne—and  I thought Gainesville was far away!  Then she really was a continent away! Other summers she was back at Florida taking extra courses. and after graduation, she went straight to graduate school. Next came her move across the state where she became  a career girl and then a bride.

Of course, we are delighted that she is happy and enjoying married life, motherhood and the continuation of her career on a part-time basis.  We couldn’t hope for more. I miss her, certainly, but it is no longer painful.

The day Suzanne gave this little heart to me, I hung it on  the door knob to Rebecca’s empty bedroom.  It hangs there still, making me smile daily and generating memories for Rebecca when she is “home.”  Along with the soft, 3 dimensional  sentiment, Suzanne included the music CD, Love Travels,  by Kathy Mattea.  The lyrics include these words:

“Love travels the miles upon the wings of angels.  Love finds you, I swear its true, I can love you from here.  On moonbeams, on heartstrings, love makes its way through anything……”

Now, it sounds a bit maudlin.  But at that time, these musical words, along with the door hanger heart, were very soothing.  Any mother who has sent a child out into the world might have experienced these same feelings.

This sweet expression of understanding would be equally comforting for sisters, grandmothers or any others who are geographically separated while still joined by heart strings.  Making up a similar gift of love might help fill a hole in more hearts than one.