That’s one reason why I came here to
live with your mammi . She was one of the few who didn’t judge me for what I did.”
She paused just long enough to take in a breath. “Your mammi ’s a special lady.”
“ Jah , I don’t know what I’d have done without her.” Lucy was secretly envious of
Nellie’s boldness, knowing that she could never do such a thing but also that she
didn’t want to. A loving husband was all she truly wanted.
“Lucy, I’m telling you all this to show you how strong you are.”
Lucy started to speak, but Nellie stopped her with a raised hand.
“You just don’t know it yet. Do you think I knew what to do or how to do it when
I started up that store?” She moved her head slowly back and forth. “I started from
the ground up, and it was only by the grace of Gott that it all came together.”
She sat back and smiled contently. “You should have seen it, Luce.” She lifted her
hands in front of her. “I named the shop Pieces of Life.”
Lucy sighed. “That’s a great name.” She looked up with Nellie, envisioning what it
would look like in the storefront window. “What stories, though? Our quilts usually
symbolize something.”
“These were different. These quilts were about the customers’ lives. What they did,
where they lived, the experiences they had, and whether they included it or not,
I’d ask them about their faith. These quilts are like the Bible, filled with parables
and stories. True stories.”
Lucy chuckled. “You were a storyteller and evangelizer all wrapped up into one.”
She tried to imagine it but instead leaned forward and studied the quilt for the
answer. “Is this one yours?”
“ Jah , this here is one with your mammi .” She pointed to a block with a stalk of celery
in the middle, the Amish tradition at most weddings. The green color was obscure,
not quite the dark color it should be.
“Is this her wedding?” Lucy frowned, knowing something wasn’t right.
“ Nee , your mammi can tell you her story.”
Lucy glanced over at her. “You have her story in here? No wonder it’s so big.”
“ Nee , not their stories, but she and Rosy were so involved in my life, they are in
the quilt quite a bit.”
“And your sisters are in here too?”
“ Jah , but I didn’t have the same relationship with them as your mammi and Rosy. As
they are widows, and there are no men in our lives, we created a life of our own
together.” Her eyes squinted. “Do you see the beauty of the story as well as the
beauty of the quilt?”
Lucy scanned the many patches and wondered what each and every one said, like pages
of a book. Some were obvious, and others didn’t make any sense to her at all. Maybe
in code or secrets that only Nellie would understand.
“What a beautiful way to track your story, like a memoir in a quilt,” she murmured.
“What is this one with the rainbow?”
Nellie grinned. “That’s a memory about a young man who courted me when I was young.
He was older than me, and my parents didn’t approve. We went three days without talking,
and I thought I was gonna burst. The very next day, he came to see me. I snuck out
the window and ran through the cornfields with him until we couldn’t run anymore.”
She stopped and took a breath and then looked up as if she saw it all over again
in her mind.
“It started to rain, but we didn’t care. He took my face in his hands and kissed
me. The rain kept coming down and then stopped suddenly. He pulled away and looked
up. There in front of us was a huge rainbow spread out over the sky.” She met Lucy’s
eyes. They were soft and bright blue, with a contentment about them.
“What happened to him?” Lucy didn’t like the ending. She wanted Nellie with this
young man who was so smitten with her.
“I did as my parents told me to. They encouraged me to court with others, but no
one compared.” She rested her cheek in the palm of her hand. “I’ll always have the
memory of lying in the wet
live with your mammi . She was one of the few who didn’t judge me for what I did.”
She paused just long enough to take in a breath. “Your mammi ’s a special lady.”
“ Jah , I don’t know what I’d have done without her.” Lucy was secretly envious of
Nellie’s boldness, knowing that she could never do such a thing but also that she
didn’t want to. A loving husband was all she truly wanted.
“Lucy, I’m telling you all this to show you how strong you are.”
Lucy started to speak, but Nellie stopped her with a raised hand.
“You just don’t know it yet. Do you think I knew what to do or how to do it when
I started up that store?” She moved her head slowly back and forth. “I started from
the ground up, and it was only by the grace of Gott that it all came together.”
She sat back and smiled contently. “You should have seen it, Luce.” She lifted her
hands in front of her. “I named the shop Pieces of Life.”
Lucy sighed. “That’s a great name.” She looked up with Nellie, envisioning what it
would look like in the storefront window. “What stories, though? Our quilts usually
symbolize something.”
“These were different. These quilts were about the customers’ lives. What they did,
where they lived, the experiences they had, and whether they included it or not,
I’d ask them about their faith. These quilts are like the Bible, filled with parables
and stories. True stories.”
Lucy chuckled. “You were a storyteller and evangelizer all wrapped up into one.”
She tried to imagine it but instead leaned forward and studied the quilt for the
answer. “Is this one yours?”
“ Jah , this here is one with your mammi .” She pointed to a block with a stalk of celery
in the middle, the Amish tradition at most weddings. The green color was obscure,
not quite the dark color it should be.
“Is this her wedding?” Lucy frowned, knowing something wasn’t right.
“ Nee , your mammi can tell you her story.”
Lucy glanced over at her. “You have her story in here? No wonder it’s so big.”
“ Nee , not their stories, but she and Rosy were so involved in my life, they are in
the quilt quite a bit.”
“And your sisters are in here too?”
“ Jah , but I didn’t have the same relationship with them as your mammi and Rosy. As
they are widows, and there are no men in our lives, we created a life of our own
together.” Her eyes squinted. “Do you see the beauty of the story as well as the
beauty of the quilt?”
Lucy scanned the many patches and wondered what each and every one said, like pages
of a book. Some were obvious, and others didn’t make any sense to her at all. Maybe
in code or secrets that only Nellie would understand.
“What a beautiful way to track your story, like a memoir in a quilt,” she murmured.
“What is this one with the rainbow?”
Nellie grinned. “That’s a memory about a young man who courted me when I was young.
He was older than me, and my parents didn’t approve. We went three days without talking,
and I thought I was gonna burst. The very next day, he came to see me. I snuck out
the window and ran through the cornfields with him until we couldn’t run anymore.”
She stopped and took a breath and then looked up as if she saw it all over again
in her mind.
“It started to rain, but we didn’t care. He took my face in his hands and kissed
me. The rain kept coming down and then stopped suddenly. He pulled away and looked
up. There in front of us was a huge rainbow spread out over the sky.” She met Lucy’s
eyes. They were soft and bright blue, with a contentment about them.
“What happened to him?” Lucy didn’t like the ending. She wanted Nellie with this
young man who was so smitten with her.
“I did as my parents told me to. They encouraged me to court with others, but no
one compared.” She rested her cheek in the palm of her hand. “I’ll always have the
memory of lying in the wet
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