Dear RCP…

At last! Your baby quilt is done – and you’re nearly one year old. Here I thought I was late with your brother’s, and I’ve broken my own record. I bought the fabric the night you were born, if that counts.

I wasn’t considering another article of life lessons from a quilt, but some thoughts presented themselves, and here they are. First, if we add your mom’s middle name as a second middle for you, you’d share acronyms with the fine folks of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Just as WPP will not be used often, neither will RCP, so you’re safe.

More importantly, your quilt involved “cut aways” – the removal of excess fabric that gets in the way of the overall size/shape/design. When such a thing happens in the animal world, it’s called shedding or molting. The birds in your family may provide a demonstration. Aunt Fluff can tell you more about how it’s done in the plant world, called pruning. A good gardener knows that some sprouts would waste the plant’s energy. These get cut off so the plant can have better blooms, or fruits, or in the case of tree trunks, a clear swinging space!

In human life, it can happen as relationships, activities, and even toys fade away or become donations to someone else’s collection. That’s growth, and we want it even when it’s not fun. Right now, you can’t imagine a high school graduate with a pacifier, but your folks can. Just as mom & dad will retire your beloved binky one day, God “retires” some things and people from our lives so we can have more energy and space for His better gifts.

He knows what He designed you for, all the way down to the shape of your nose and the opportunities that growing up in your family and neighborhood will give you (or withhold). We’ll discover along with you what your personality, talents, and preferences are, and how to apply them toward the adventures He has prepared for you. Uphill climbs may be involved, ask Grandma Q about hiking and geocaching.

Your quilt blocks also have “offset,” meaning things aren’t lined up in precise sizes or columns. Things can be simpler when everything is aligned, but reality doesn’t work that way. Frankly, life is less interesting when everything can be predicted. The good news is, there are all kinds of different people in the world, including you. You’ll get the adventure of interacting with lots of them as life goes on. Grandma Q is great at interacting with different people, she learned from her mom.

Your quilt also has some places of rebuild, where the original is changed or replaced to get a better result. Like your brother’s, some finish stitching had issues. Unlike his, it was decided that a do-over was needed. Sometimes, the only way forward is to back up & try again.

Herein lies another lesson or two, like the impossibility of getting all conditions to be the exact same on another try. One of the fabrics doesn’t exist any more. Sometimes a lost opportunity is in fact lost. For example, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Best to be consistently who you are.

But don’t let lost opportunities stop you. Positive surprises can show up while you’re feeling discouraged. Surprises like tripping over the one exact piece of fabric needed, sitting in a random bin that would have been overlooked. (The only piece left in the whole store.) Because God still moves, nothing is ever hopeless. And yes, He also cares about silly little things sometimes, like fabric. Ask me someday.

For now, family and friends will be enough to take in, as well as language and culture and foods appropriate for your age & size. You’re not ready for Mr. Chuck’s hot peppers, most of us aren’t! Enjoy your quilt and your childhood, and exploring the offsets of life. You’ll learn about cut-aways and rebuilds soon enough, yet the sooner you embrace those lessons, the better off you’ll be.

Welcome to our world little one, we’re happy you’re here!!