Fulfill

A friend gave me a pair of size 50 knitting needles. I couldn’t resist the call to try them out. I went to the store and found a super bulky yarn that was perfectly suited to the project. Knitting with size 50 needles is a workout. Each stitch requires some major manipulations but the end product was beautiful and soft.

Now that the blanket was done, I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I threw it in the crib we have set up for grandchildren and it sat there.

I forgot about the blanket until I saw a request from one of my daughters-in-law on a Christmas wish list. Our twelve-year-old granddaughter, Emma wanted a bulky knit blanket for her room. She had recently moved out of the room with her younger sister into a different bedroom that she could call her own. She had picked a gray blanket that matched the decor. I immediately thought about the bulky blanket sitting in the crib. I didn’t think she would like it. It wasn’t gray and what twelve-year-old would want something Grandma had knits? But I didn’t know what else to do with it and we were planning on driving to their house right after Thanksgiving so I put the blanket in a HUGE garbage bag and stowed it in the trunk.

I decided I would offer the blanket to Emma but if she didn’t like it, I would buy her the gray one. As a grandmother, I wanted to fulfill her wish.

When she opened the garbage bag and saw the blanket she was filled with delight! She reminded me that she had gone with me to pick out the yarn. I had totally forgotten!

Her wish was fulfilled and she had been part of the process. I could have easily bought her the gray blanket on the Christmas wish list but instead, I was able to give her something we had conceived of together. We had different colored yarn in the cart and as we headed to check out, we both decided we liked the blue yarn better. Emma reminded me that her favorite color was blue just like me. Her joy was an amazing gift for me and we both felt fulfilled!

Fulfilling wishes is such a privilege but when the fulfillment comes in the form of creating something, it is even better. What kind of experience can we create with those we love this season that will fulfill their deepest desire of feeling loved?