A year passes, then another, and still the shirts hang, untouched in the closet. I’m torn, on the one hand knowing he will never wear them again, on the other unable to part with these last tangible pieces of my son’s life.
After losing someone significant in our lives it’s important to reconstruct that continuing bond in bereavement. A shirt may be just a shirt but it can also elicit stories of our loved one, allow us to recall memories that spark joy, or that occasion where we just sat quietly appreciating the silence of our togetherness.
To keep that bond alive, even in my son’s absence I’ve created a simple quilt using his shirt and a few found fabrics. This is not a fancy show quilt because he was not a fancy show type guy. It’s not large, because he lived lightly on this Earth and left little behind. When I hold this quilt I know we are part of something bigger, each of us a piece in this patchwork of life; my son and I, stitched together with our heart strings.
Let’s gather some of our loved ones shirts and blouses and walk through the stitching of a memory together.
Hugs! Dawn
Next up: Breaking Down – The Shirt, That Is