This week, a friend and former colleague died, not unexpectedly, but we are struck with sadness, it was much too soon. We met twenty years ago. Over the years we taught each other’s children, taught together, shared family dinners and celebrations, there are so many memories . . .
She taught with enthusiasm and tons of energy- making each new fact or story seem like the most amazing important thing they had ever heard. Blue and Moon’s best memories of her hold owls, apples, Ancient Greece, the Titanic, and mummies.
When Blue was in first grade, I worked with his class to create this quilt as a thank you to her, "First Graders Love . . ."
We paint splattered the background fabric, and marked it with their handprints. They each drew a heart or a star, and a picture of something they loved about their year with her. The hearts and stars were sewn into shapes for the children to button onto the quilt. The drawings were traced onto fabric, colored with crayons, heat set, and outlined with stitch.
This is Blue's Ancient Egyptian mummy.
During that year, she had invited parents to come in and talk about anything that interested them. I brought in a pile of quilts. We sat on the floor around them as I shared their stories and why I loved sewing. When I finished, she said to the students, “Do you see her face, how it is all red with excitement? Did you hear her voice, how it got faster and more and more excited as she shared about stitching and telling stories? That’s passion. That’s how you want to feel about the things you do!” I have always been grateful for that moment of being seen, and glimpsing myself in a new way.
First graders, and many many others, loved . . . Connie.
