Last week, an elderly member of our church passed away, and I went to her funeral service on Saturday.
It got me thinking, like those kind of events tend to get you thinking. And I realized what I want my wake to look like. You guys have to PROMISE me that this is what you will do for me:
Come together and bring your knitting. Bring your knitting and your spinning and have yourselves a knit & chat, a good old fashioned stitch & bitch. Sit around like we always have, and talk about the kids and what it's like to have to care for one's elderly parents. Talk about your jobs and the upcoming vacation, if you're lucky enough to be able to go on one. Best of all, talk about yarn and knitting, patterns and stitch patterns and books about knitting. Bring in some new knitters, and guide them when they need it.
I will have already asked my loved ones to take what yarn and books they want, and pile the rest up for you. Since I already know right now that I will have yarn left over at the end of my life, I would like you all to sit around my stash for an afternoon and check it out. When it's time to go, I want you all to divy it up and take it home with you.
I won't be able to tell you what to do with the yarn, but my wish would be that you make something for yourself, and make something for my favorite charitable organization, Afghans for Afghans.
To my knitting lawyer friends: I had better put all this in writing, right? I don't think a blog counts as a legal document...
Until the day of the wake, let's knit on together.
7 comments:
So moving, thoughtful and wonderful! Sounds absolutely perfect. Thanks for sharing such vulnerabilities that connect us all.
That is a nice thought about a topic most of us don't like to think about. My mom had some "out there" wishes and we did our best to comply. I think the funeral director thought we were nuts when we asked him to put so many things into her coffin with her. She would have killed my sister and me for putting her in a new outfit we found in her closet. We thought she should go in style even though the casket was closed. I'm sure your loved ones will do right by you!
Beth
whether committed to your last will or not, your wishes are entirely clear! I am not a trust and estates lawyer, but I would say that this would hold up. Hopefully by the time I have to honor this wish I will be so old and gnarled that I may not be able to do more than merely fondle the yarn.
It seems a pity that this beautiful day would occur some time in the future and that you would not be present to share it. Why not put this into action now (and do a yarn swap instead of yarn give away?). That way, you can enjoy the company and we can enjoy yours.
Elise
I will follow your wishes, but not for a long timne yet :)
A member of my knitting group died of cancer, and we did go to her memorial service in a beautiful old church. I leaned over to Nancy before it started and whispered, "I've got my knitting in my purse." She answered, "I left mine in my car." A third knitter had some tucked away too as we listened to the minister. We knew we would have a knit night later to do more talking ourselves.
That's a great idea for a wake. And a lovely photo.
This is so beautiful, and so sad! I plan to live till 98, and I expect you to do the same if not longer, and we shall meet sometime before then.
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