A Beautiful Tribute to Kathy Bartley's Mother

This was shared back in October at the Widewater Retreat with the Black Swamp Quilt Guild.   I was so moved by Kathy's quilt and her story I asked and received  her permission to share it with all of you.  These are Kathy's words:

“Dancing in the Moonlight”

My mother, Olive Sherertz Lanham, was born and raised in what was previously called Soochow, now called Suzhou, China. Her parents were Methodist missionaries and my grandfather taught English at Soochow University. While she was still a child, China was attacked by Japan and her family had to flee to the mountains at various times for safety. The family went through some harrowing moments and finally returned to the U.S when she was 15 when it got too dangerous to stay. They were able to get my grandmother and the children home safely but my grandfather was taken prisoner and sent to a concentration camp for 18 months before his release. My mother never returned to China but it always held a special place in her heart.

 

 One of her favorite memories was when she was about 10 and she and her cousin spent the night out in a tent up in the mountains in Kuling. It was a bright moonlit summer night and around midnight the girls got up and picked white violets and went out and danced in the moonlight. My mother always told me that was her very favorite childhood memory, when she forgot about the war and just enjoyed being a child. White violets were her favorite flower. She said, “Most people think they are just a weed but to me they are something beautiful.”

 So when my mother passed away in June of 2007, I decided to make a quilt in tribute to her. This is my design of her favorite memory. It was very healing to work on this quilt. At times I could almost feel my mother’s presence and I often felt like we worked on it together. Rosanna Williams quilted it for me and did a beautiful job. After it was completed I could barely look at it for awhile without getting emotional. But now that some time has gone by I am comforted by it.       Kathy Bartley



What a wonderful and moving story to share Kathy.  I thank you for allowing me to publish this and for being willing to share such a chrrished memory with all of us.  I admire you translation and hope one day I can make something as meaningful.

With Gratitude,
Kelly