The pants hem.....

I was ironing Jenn's work pants last week. It is a trade off.....she irons all of Bob's clothes and mine too as long as I iron her work pants. She hates ironing creases and I love creases. So I really make out on the deal ....I iron 4 pairs of pants (she wears jeans on Friday) and she irons all of my clothes that need to be ironed and Bob's uniforms.

Anyway, while I was ironing her pants something caught my eye......it was a stitch in the hem of her pants. I turned the hem inside out and started to cry. MOM. These pants and all of Jenn's and Bob's pants had been hemmed by Mom on her last visit here. It had become a standing joke with us that once she got here there would be sewing for her to do. I can see her having Jenn stand on a chair in the shoes she would wear with the pants. Mom would hold the straight pins in her mouth and carefully measure the hem. Sometimes there would be so much extra material she would have to cut some of it off. At least once while she was sewing them hems she would say "Donna, I can't believe you don't hem pants." I would say "Why should I learn to when I know you will be coming to visit'" Then we would both laugh and she would say something to Jenn like, "Thank goodness Nannie came to visit or who knows what your mother would do about these hems." I would mumble something about scotch tape and glue....Mom would laugh. As I write this I can see the chair she sat in just 15 months ago needle in hand lovingly sewing Jenn's hems. It is like the ghost of her is sitting there sewing, chatting and laughing. I am having a hard time writing this because I can't see the keyboard because I am crying.....

I tried something else this week Mom has suggested.....I put the alarm on so when the dryer stops if I run to the dryer and get the clothes out right away I don't have to iron so many things......she always used to say "Donna, I don't know anyone else who irons like you do'" I would respond, "Kathy does." She would then say we were probably the only two people who still iron and we would laugh. I have to say she was right about the dryer. I have been able to save at least 2 pair of my work pants from the ironing board by getting them out of the dryer right away. Score one for you Mom!

Tonight it is ironing time again and when I iron Jenn's pants my fingers will touch the stitches put there so lovingly by Mom. I touch them like they are diamonds on a beautiful necklace.....they are like diamonds.....each stitch done with love....by hands that held mine as a child, that baked cookies, that were used to tell stories during a Hula.....that waved good by the last time I saw her.....to hold those hands one more time.....priceless