One of my first matters of business after telling my family we were expecting was put in a request for an afghan from my Grandmother. I already knew what color I wanted it to be, so I happily selected some skeins and dropped them in the mail as a subtle hint for her to get busy. My grandmother, who is in her nineties has made an afghan for every grandchild and now every great grandchild and I was delighted at the prospect of finally receiving one for my own child.
Now, before you think I am completely selfish I thought by mailing them to her in the Summer it would give her plenty of time to have it completed by Christmas. My Grandmother busily toiled away on my afghan and would mention it from time to time when we chatted over the phone. My Grandmother has a strong affinity for boys and no one seemed more delighted we were having a boy than her. "Boys are just better" she would tell me and seeing as we were having one I had to agree.
In the Fall, Asher passed away, a couple days later I made a heartbreaking phone call to my Grandmother. She could tell something was not wrong by the sound of my voice and I slowly broke the news of Asher's passing. She mentioned how every time she tried to work on the afghan that week she would feel upset and not be able to. Oh how sad it made me not only the loss of our child, but my hopes of receiving this precious afghan were completely dashed.
Fast forward a couple months and my grandmother came up to visit for Christmas like planned. Not much was mentioned of the afghan other than a few subtle hints to my Mom that I hoped she would finish it. Right before my Grandmother left in March she presented me with a box tied with a satin ribbon. My heart almost leapt out of my chest and I hoped more than anything the afghan would be in the box. I slowly opened the box and beheld my precious afghan. I was so touched she had pushed through the pain, the heartache and the grief and continued to work so diligently on this. The afghan was the perfect compliment to my nursery colors and an even greater manifestation of the love my Grandmother has for me. I will treasure this forever and it means even more to me after having lost Asher.
