9/11 & Freedom Quilt Experience - Denver, Colorado Capitol Building

Remembering 9/11/2001:
I had taken time off from work the previous week to be with a very, very sick dog & was still exhausted from the ordeal.  Normally I listened to the radio on the long drive in, but that morning I treasured the silence.  I was so exhausted I didn't notice the mood of my friend on our ride down to the cafeteria for coffee.  He asked me how I was doing.  I said Mollie-dog would recover.  He just stared at me.  He knew I would always remember it was he that broke the news of 09/11.  I am grateful for his gentle tolerance when I said - "I'm sure it was an accident."  He said no.  We didn't speak after that.  TV's had been set up in the cafeteria.  Except for the broadcasts, it was a silent day - each person lost in their own thoughts.

A quilting friend sent me a great article on a 9/11 quilt memorial in the Denver Capitol building.  I hope, as someone who loves quilts, it will bring you comfort.  Here is an excerpt that really says it all (the link follows):

"It is not so hard to imagine the women who made these quilts taking this day into their hearts, going to the fabric store, running their hands over the bolts of cloth, breathing the smell of cotton as the yards are measured. It is not hard to see them cutting and pinning the squares, ironing each block, heat rising from the fabric. If each act is a meditation, each quilt is a prayer. One piece bound to another, the individual contributing to the greater, stronger whole. It is an easy metaphor."    

                                                                       Cynthia Martin, Quilt Curator

 

Read more: Griego: Quilt display in Colorado Capitol a magnificent comfort - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/griego/ci_18870203#ixzz1Xl94yQHg
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse