Quilt Made by Annie Olson-Reiners for River Avery

This week—the first of our new life—we’ve been blessed to have Elie’s Mom, Marcia, around. Each morning she arrives at our house and helps us transition from the nightlong “nap n’ feed” we have going. I get to sleep a little, Elie gets a shower and some food and Marcia holds the little River for as little or as long as we need her too.  

When I’m up she helps in the garden, sorts junk and packs for the inevitably inconvenient move we have coming this week. Whatever it is, Marcia loves to have a project.  

The other day River was napping on my chest while Marcia sorted through a mess of Elie’s clothes.  

“When my mother would come over in the early stages of Alzheimer’s,” she began, “we would give her some patchwork to do. Just an old pair of socks—something we planned to throw out. She just needed to have a purpose and the sewing helped.”  

“Are you sure,” she asked me, “I’m not just doing patchwork?”

Such a lovely question—one I had no problem answering. “No,” I said resolutely.  ”This is more than patchwork,” and the proverb was born.