A Very Special Afghan

My mom would have been eighty nine years old a couple weeks ago.  On her birthday my dad received a letter from one of mom's very best friends. She just wanted to keep in touch even though it has been fifteen months since my mom passed away.

Mom on the right and her friend Janice on the left.

 Mom had a rough childhood.  She had to grow up fast because her mother died when she was only thirteen and had been sick for many years before that.  She was the second youngest of ten children.  Her dad worked on the railroad from morning to night leaving the children left at home to take care of themselves.  Then when she was a freshman in high school she was sent to town to live in a boarding house.  They valued education and this is how they could get a high school education.  Can you imagine sending a child of that age away from home with $5 to live on for the week and pretty much take care of themselves?  Mom would buy day old donuts and bread so she could save some money to go roller skating.  She would come home some weekends and for the summer.  Otherwise, she was on her own.  During her school days she became best friends with a local girl who lived in town.  They remained friends until the day she died.  This girls mother became mom's surrogate mom and treated her just like one of her own.  This family was a lifeline for my mom.  When the mom would make her daughter a skirt, she would make my mom one too.  Mom's friend had a brother and he was friends with my dad.  They introduced my parents.

My sister was named after mom's friend.  She married a little later so my sister and I were special to her.  She knit and sewed for us.  She was the crafty one and that is why I was so surprised when this afghan came in the mail a few years ago.  Apparently my mom had made this for her friend and she thought we should have it back.  I knew my mom crocheted a little when we were very little.  There was no TV to watch and I heard mom say that she would crochet and dad would read books.

I know this was a long story to get to the point, but here is the afghan my mom made.  It is probably over 60 years old.  It's very special.