A fairy tale [and a sugar skull quilt]

Once upon a time there were two beautiful girls.

One of these girls went searching for love,

and by the time she was 16 her arms and her heart were full of love,

in the form of a beautiful daughter.

Not everybody recognised that this was indeed love,

and they made harsh comments to the girl.

But as the girl grew along side her daughter,

she learned that love is a two-edged sword with pain.

Even so she kept on loving.

The other girl longed for acceptance.

She lived with a thousand rules, and she tried to keep them all.

She did everything she could to earn that acceptance,

but it was never enough.

The girl was broken, but alive

and gradually as she got older, she learned that to accept oneself

is the greatest thing she could do for herself and her children.

In the way of these things, the girls became women,

and their paths crossed.

They recognised in each other the scars that their pasts had given them,

and the hope that they could make a difference.

One day they met at McDonalds for lunch with a bunch of small children,

and they talked about this hope for the future.

They decided to study and learn how to help others,

they decided to support each other in the journey.

They laughed together at the possibility that the high-school drop out

and the person with the arranged marriage who grew up in a cult

could possibly be audacious enough to think they could get a degree.

The two girls are still on that journey.

Half way through their degrees. It turns out that they are smart.

The words thrown at them at the past are slowly falling off,

like rain drops on a window.

This quilt is for my dear friend Meg,

the one who searched for love.

She is brave and courageous and super smart.

I love you Meg.

Next year when we graduate together, we will laugh and cry together,

super thankful that the scars in our hearts have not kept us in the past.