Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Have I turned into a scarf knitter?


And if so, is that bad? Here is Hunter's scarf, or at least 1/3 of it. Right now I'm about 55% into it. If the chilly weather doesn't last here he'll have it when it gets cold again next winter.

The Wee One has a new interest---tennis! My brother Michael chuckled when I told him "there's got to be scholarship potential somehow, right?" He works in higher education (VP of Student Life at an East Coast university) & after a pause said "Stamford--isn't that where McEnroe went??" She is due to start later this week, pics to follow.


I got a little teary eyed this morning reading the obituaries from my home town paper. The widow of a WWII veteran died & this was in her obit:


Rose would often tell the story of how overjoyed she was when some of Gus's Army duffle bags arrived back to the house from Europe, meaning that Gus was coming home soon, and then again when her brother Jim's Marine Corp. duffle bags started arriving home from the Pacific, meaning that he too would arrive home safe.

It made me think of Hunter's deployments when we'd get the official word to stop sending mail. I also remember going to the PO to pick up a foot locker, covered in desert sand (trust me when I say that stuff NEVER comes out!) & feeling the excitement that he was finally coming home.

So this morning I "connected" with a 98 yr old woman that I never knew just for a moment. I knew exactly the joy she felt knowing he was coming home. I wonder if she was a knitter too.

4 comments:

knittingyoyo said...

Love the scarf, great colors. My sister is doing a "book" on our Dad who was on Okinawa during WWII so I send her all kinds of info about veterans. You are right tears just come. When Joseph came home from Iraq and his foot locker came to the house excitement is the only word that can describe it and that is almost not strong enough. After he was at Ft Benning he asked me to go through some of his stuff he had shipped home from Iraq and send it to him. As I was carefully pulling out camo shirts and brown undershirts I found boots in the bottom. Now handling his clothing he had worn for the last year was emotional enough but as I was turning the boots over to see if they were the ones he wanted and there in the soles were little tiny rocks that got stuck in the sole. Yes I melted into a lump of tears, tears of gratitude he was back home and tears that I was touching something he had touched while in Iraq. I am sure there are many others who have gone through the same thing and that connection with them is dear to my heart.

Anonymous said...

Aw, great post!

NH Knitting Mama said...

I think the same things all the time. I feel like God gives us those thoughts/connections to remind us that we are all human, and one big family.

MP said...

trust me when I say that stuff NEVER comes out!

in 2006 I picked up a box I had mailed home to a friend when we were leaving Tikrit in 2004 - it had taken about 6 months or so to get there, and longer for me to go get it.

I cracked it open, and, man, the dust - that flinty smell never goes away, and is one serious memory trigger.

TPP