Nothing is more important to me than my love for my family. Don't get me wrong. A lot of things are important to me. My friends, a beautiful day at 65 degrees, a nice relaxing ride in the car during peak foliage, a really good ice cream, and of course, my stitching. Now, combine that last love with the first and you get a very special gift for two extremelly special people.Growing up I had many "favorite" uncles. One, was my Uncle Al Gusman. I got to spend almost every Saturday of my childhood with him and my Aunt Alice having cookouts and holiday meals, playing cards and board games and going to the lake for a big picnic and playing in the water. Sadly, they have passed but the fond memories remain. My daughter has named her first son Alexander and was surprised at my delight when I found out, as she wasn't fortunate enough to remember him that well. Every time I look at Alex, I smile with the memories. But I digress.....My other two favorites are my Uncle Al and Jim Locke. They are my mothers brothers and live in Maine, where we visited each summer. As I was growing up and to this day, Jim was and is the family clown and fun loving, trouble maker. He was always involving us kids in some kind of mischief. Loving hugs that took your breath away, were always, and still are, the norm. A big shitty grin is a constant on his face.Uncle Al on the other hand was the stern one. When he said to "STOP" something, you stopped! LOL He had a career in the Navy and "seemed" to rule everything with an iron look and manner. I say "seemed" as I have since found out from growing older that it was all a facade. He is one of the most loving ,big bear of a man, I have ever known.In the past 7 years since the passing of my mother and her sister; within six months of each other; we (my Joe and I), have visited the "Uncles" each August for a week. Al and his wife Val were full time RVers for many years and would camp out in Jim's yard each summer. Our weeks with them were always wonderful and Al and I have had some really deep thoughtful conversations by the campfire after everyone else retired for the night. Last year, he and his wife decided to give up the RV and settle down at the ripe young age of 75. They built a new beautiful double wide and we spent a few days in their home with them last August.After those few days, I came to realize just how deep his love is. He compliments Aunt Val constantly. Looking through old photos, he showed me a picture of her from 30 years ago and said, "can you see why I just HAD to marry this lady?" Explaining how good Joe and I felt that week can only be stated in one way and I'm glad I was able to state this fact to them without losing my composure as I am while trying to type this.... Their love; re-filled our hearts, so that we may continue to pass our love onto others.So after rambling on like this, here is our gift to them this year. My Uncle loves his country and will defend it to his dying day, and Aunt Val is an accomplished quilter. When I saw this piece and showed it to Joe, we both knew it had to reside in their home. Now, my Joe never really notices what I'm working on other than to say; "that's nice", when it's finished, so I knew this really was the "one" when he showed a keen interest. He watched my progress over the months it took to stitch and will help me choose the right frame for it before it goes to it's final spot in the home of our loved ones.I hope they feel our love refilling their hearts when they look at it.
Rosewood Manor- American Flag Quilt Sampler
Uncle Al, Aunt Val, Me and Joe
