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God, Ms. M and the Boot Quilt
I do believe God works in mysterious ways.
Most we will never understand from our current perspective.
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Back in early June of this year, I was up late at night and surfing around on Facebook. Up popped the little chat window from a lady I have not seen in 30 years. It was Ms. M. (Ms. M was Audrey's best friend's mother and my connection was through Audrey & Rox's friendship.)
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Anyway, we caught up quickly and then suddenly, out of the blue, I felt the need to share with Ms. M what was pressing on my heart - something very personal,
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Ms. M, I am worried about my dad, would you please pray for him?. Well, Ms. M. is a prayer warrior and later I would find out that she went right to work on my request. Four days later, we got the call that Dad had died. . The memorial service was a blur. There were so many people there, many of whom were Dad's friends that I had never met, or distant relatives from far off and old grade-school buddies. As we stood in the receiving line there was a particular face in the crowd that looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. Then I realized it was Ms. M. She and Rox had come. Jump one month later and Mom receives a package in the mail. It was from Ms. M. It was a beautiful, lovingly hand-made boot quilt. Mom unfolded the quilt and cried as she read the attached note: .
Margie - Approx. 6 months ago my spirit told me to make a "boot quilt". I entertained the thought for a while and then thought - I am not a cowgirl. The idea stayed with me. So I submitted & started getting my materials together. Then on my mission I started to cut and sew. About 1/2 way thru I said who in the world is this quilt for, LORD? I never got an answer until months later. I was told to use bright colors and strip it in red. I never used red before and thought "goodness". Then when I heard from Cheryl that Doug had passed away, my spirit kept saying you need to go to the services. I called Roxane & we met in Bastrop, spent the night and she & I talked about you all most of the night. How generous Doug was and a good guy. Then after we left the memorial ... on the way home I heard a voice say that "boot quilt" belongs to Margie - - all the pieces of the puzzle had come together. Doug liking red & bright colors. Thank you LORD that I listened to you! In my quilts, Margie, you will find many mistakes in the stitching - they remind me of my life as well as others - we all goof up but God, after repenting to Him, straightens up our lives & we move on. So dear one, this quilt is for you with love. Enjoy & Blessings.
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[caption id="attachment_1189" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Dad's 1st pair of boots"]
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I found out later, Ms. M was hesitant to come to the services because I had asked her to pray for Dad and then within a few days he was gone. I know that her prayers were heard. Looking back, I see God's strong hand in Dad's passing...the timing, the place, the nature. Yes, we all are grieved by his passing, but everyday we are also thankful for the way God orchestrated it all.
At Dad's memorial we did some of Dad's favorite colloquialisms - one that spoke to Ms. M was,
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It ain't no good unless it's red..
Thank you for listening, Ms. M.
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Ann Debes Watkins
May 16, 2016
OMG…Cheryl…I was in tears while reading this…