Memories... sweet, precious memories of getting wrapped tightly in my ‘blankey'as my father would prepare to carry me out the car on cold winter mornings. He would gently lay me in the back seat of Mom's car, trying ever so hard not to wake me. He had already started the engine to get the heater warm so I wouldn't get too cold.

Mom followed him to the car after her last sip of warm, black coffee, carrying her lunch bag, her purse, and a little bag of clothes for me to wear later in the day. With a kiss goodbye, we were on our way, making our daily commute to my baby sitter's house (my aunt) and on to work for Mom. We followed this routine religiously for several years, until I was old enough to start school.

These fond memories came to my mind today as I look at my worn, tattered, stained blankey that Mom made for me before my birth. It is made of white cotton fabric with a very high thread count which made it extremely soft. It had a white satin binding around the edge that I just loved to rub between my fingers and against my face because it was so silky and smooth. She also embroidered the faces of different animals on the front of the blanket. It has a kitty cat, a puppy dog, a bunny rabbit, a little duck, and others. This quilt was done by hand sewing so it must have taken her a long time to complete.

I used this blanket so much that the binding is now completely gone, the batting is coming out from between the front and back layers of fabric, some of the seams holding the pieces together on the front have come apart exposing more batting, and some of the embroidery stitches are gone and faded.

By now, you are probably thinking I must be very old and must not take care of my things. Wrong... I am turning 40 years old this year, and I always took great care of my things - especially my ‘blankey'. The wear and tear on this blanket just shows how much I used it and how much I loved it. I treasure this blanket as much as, if not more than anything I have from my childhood. It has so many memories with it. Memories of overnight visits to my grandparent's homes, taking it with me on little overnight family trips, laying on the couch after supper with my dad watching tv, wrapping my baby dolls in my ‘blankey' and pushing them in the stroller around the house, and so many more...

You see, this little white, tattered and worn blankey may look just like a rag to be thrown away to most, but to me, it is a treasure worth more than money can buy. I love my blankey , I still hold it up to my face occasionally and bask in the memories that it carries.

I have started mending some of the seams on it, just to hold it together. I don't want to change it's character any, but I don't want to lose any more of its parts either. I want to help everyone have special memories like these, whether it be from a blanket, a doll, a pillow, or something else. So many times, we are too quick to toss things in the trash when they have such meaning to others. If you would like to create memories for your child or for yourself, remember this little story of my blankey, and you will find something that you can hold on to for memories of special events in your life, long after they have passed.

Check back soon for more stories and photos from me and my blankey. I may even include some photos of my other special keepsakes from the past.

Post a comment to let me know if you enjoyed this story and if you would like to see more. Thanks in advance.