Marcia's Quilts

It's really begun. My desire to start an organization that supplies lap quilts for Parkinson's patients was truly kicked off this morning during a meeting with the enthusiastic director of the Parkinsons Center affiliated with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Her name is Diane Church and we're going to make this happen.

This effort has its genesis with my brother Mark. In the days leading up to our Mom's death, he and my sister and I spent some time together. This one evening, we were sharing talk and food. Mark was leafing through an AARP newsletter and found a small notice about the arthritis foundation seeking quilts for folks with arthritis.

Hey Son, Mark said, you could do this for Parkinsons patients.

The first quilt will be a small one dedicated to my Mom's memory. I was appliquéing hearts while I sat with her during her last days in this life. It was something to keep my hands busy and me a bit calmer. I didn't realize it until I got home that over that time, I sewed eight hearts.

The number eight is my Mom's number—eight kids, eight grandkids, eight years more with us than Dad, etc. Of course, when you tip the number eight on its side, it becomes the infinity symbol.

So these eight hearts are going to be joined to one another in a nine-patch with a picture of Mom (Marcia) in the middle square. It will be the symbol of the April symposium sponsored by the Parkinsons Center where I will be to talk to folks about my project.

Making Mom inifnite in my own way.