We Share

2010 - Net of Light Project

Just this week I figured out what to do with the lace tablecloth that my deceased 92 year old Aunt Olga lovingly crocheted for my mother's dining room table in the 1930's. I decided it was the perfect symbol for the "net of light." It is approximately 74"x92". There is a large hole and some smaller tears, that I'm told cannot be repaired with crochet. There is also now a brown stain, which I had been trying to soak out, until it occurred to me that this is a perfect example of our current "net of light": lovingly created...holy...stained.

Aunt Olga created the ecru design of snowflake medallions with thousands of interweaving chain stitches joining them during her 21st year as she rested in bed. She had contracted TB as a 1st year nursing student, and bed rest was the primary treatment for the disease at the time.

I have been thinking about an introduction to the Grandmothers to include in the 50th reunion of classmates from the University of Dayton in Ohio that I am planning. It occurred to me that the tablecloth could cover the glass table and set the mood for discussion of the "Net of Light." We can open the session/party with an acknowledgment of the state of our world: lovingly created...holy...stained.

The event will have to be loosely structured, but it will introduce the "Grandmother's speak" website and the recognition that "our love is our power." I plan to end with the "All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you" circle.

If this works, perhaps the tablecloth could become our "traveling pants" (as in the camp movie). It is compact and lightweight. (Editor’s note: please see We Share (link) page for more information about the Net of Light Project.)

Rosalie, Indiana