Mary’s Gift

By Peg Chauncey CramercloseAuthor: Peg Chauncey Cramer Name: Peg Chauncey Cramer
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About: Peg Chauncey Cramer is a Discovery Elementary Teacher - Student Services District Support, Kentwood Public Schools, Kentwood, Michigan.See Authors Posts (3)
 

The smile on five-year-old Mary’s face shown like the sun as she handed the wrinkled package to me. It had survived the morning bus ride only by the fact that her mother had placed it into a white shopping bag that was tied with a green and gold Christmas bow. The soft squishy package looked like it had been hugged all the way to school.

As an educator teaching diverse children of many cultures, religions, and economic backgrounds, I know that many of my children and their families do not identify with some holiday customs. So, on the day of our Holiday party I try not to draw too much attention to gifts brought “To: Mrs. Cramer”.

So, during an activity time when the other kindergarten children are distracted, each child and I open their special gift in an area of the room where the gift giving is more private.  It is important for me to balance this special time that I have with each student to show how much I appreciate his/her thoughtfulness while trying not to stir uncomfortable emotions in children without gifts.

When it was Mary’s turn, she bounded over to me. In her arms she held her precious gift that I was sure she wrapped herself. It warmed my heart just to see her enthusiasm and how carefully she wrapped her gift securely by using ‘extra tape’.

“My Mommy and I made it!” were the first words she spoke.  In that split second, I recalled countless smiling students with like enthusiasm that had made and given me wonderful hand-made ornaments, potholders, or pencil holders, and dozens upon dozens of cookies.

I always let the children help me unwrap their gift because unwrapping is so much fun to share. In a millisecond, the paper was off and there in my arms laid a beautiful handcrafted quilt.  I was so overwhelmed; I could only say, “Oh Mary, it is so beautiful!”

Her hands gingerly patted the quilt. “ ‘Member I asked you if liked earth tones or bright colors?”  She had. I have been asked random questions thousands of times before by little children, but that question had seemed to be a bit stranger than usual. I had said, “Earth tones. Why?”  Mary had drawn her fingers to her lips and made the ‘zipping her lips’ gliding motion as she walked away.  Now I understood, the question had made perfect sense.

Not having the ability, talent, or patience myself to sew anything… let alone a quilt, I only could imagine how many hours mother and daughter must have spent to hand-sew this wonderful gift. “Mommy cut all these shapes and I counted them.” Mary told me proudly. “256 little triangles, 192 big ones, 64 little squares and 64 big ones and 16 really big ones! See?”  Yes, I could see and  she gave me a great big hug.

“Mary, this is going to look beautiful in my home! It must have taken your Mommy a long time…”

Then I remembered, a startling fact… Mary’s mother has SIX children!

I spread the quilt over one of the tables and immediately the other children rushed to see what I was doing.  It only took a few moments from the  “Ooos” and “Ahhhs” for the wide-eyed kindergarten children to start asking questions. “What’s that blanket?”  “Who made it?”  “How come it has patches?”  “ Why does it have shapes?” “Why is it bumpy?” “Mary said she and her Mommy made it. Who makes blankets?”

What a perfect, teachable moment. I asked the children to sit on the rug by my ‘teacher chair’ and I reached in my bookcase for one of my favorite books. I laid the quilt on my lap and read the story, “The Patchwork Quilt”  by Valerie Flournoy.  We had a wonderful discussion and we talked about how sometimes families keep quilts for a really long time. I promised that I would bring in one of my Grandmother’s quilts so they could see an old quilt too.

The bell rang so Mary and I folded up the quilt as the children filed out the door on their way outside for recess.  “I helped Mommy pick out the colors and see this…?” As she spoke she pointed proudly and oh-so lovingly to a corner of the quilt that really didn’t resemble the other areas.  “I did this part all by myself!”

In all the excitement, I had missed it completely. Mary’s mother had given her a square to sew too. It not only looked like a child had sewn it, the extra tucks and puckers were still there. The triangles were crooked, and the ends were not finished.  This outstanding Mother had not “fixed” her daughter’s sewing. She was teaching Mary to sew and had empowered her to sew a square for her teacher.  She knew I would appreciate Mary’s effort and she couldn’t have been more right.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I hugged little Mary who now seemed older than her years. I was overcome by a whirlwind of emotions.

To me, Mary’s gift is more than a patchwork of material; it is symbol of patience, perseverance, belief in self, respect, kindness, tolerance, diversity, generosity, and love. It is a symbol of the way lives intertwine and also how important it is to nurture genuine, meaningful, and positive relationships. It was a symbol of the uniqueness of each and every child in my classroom. All the pieces fit together, even the one that is misshapen and off-center.

This special quilt now rests on a banister in the hallway of my home and I pass by it each morning before school.  It seems to silently say, “Touch the hearts of your children like they have touched yours, and make a difference in their lives today!”

It is amazing, all I needed to learn about life I learned in Kindergarten from a remarkable 5-year-old child and her heartfelt gift of a beautiful handmade patchwork quilt.

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Also by Peg Chauncey Cramer:

More Than Just “Reading Buddies” – An Overview of School-based Mentor Programming

Matthew’s Sunshine