The Moonglow Sisters - Lori Wilde Page 0,105
of her life was turning out to be the best. “I only have one thing to say.”
“Yes?”
“What took you so damn long?”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
He slipped the ring on her finger, stood up, enveloped her in his arms, and as those three red kites flew over their heads, they kissed with the passion that only lifelong friends who’d recently become lovers could feel.
In the sweetness of sunset, in the circle of Mike’s arms, Gia felt her true self emerge, whole and complete. She was fully present to the moment and aware of the unity of existence while at the same time holding on to the sense of self she’d found by letting go of pleasing others.
She and Mike were part of something larger than themselves. As were she and her sisters. They were connected, not only to each other, but to Moonglow Cove, and the big wide world beyond. They were part of the ebb and flow of life. Their love for each other had helped them to transform and break down barriers.
As enduring as the ocean waves, unconditional love was the cornerstone of transformation.
Gia’s heart was wide open, and she was no longer afraid. She let go of suffering, let go of the pain of the past. She was here now, with the man she loved, and everything was absolutely perfect.
With undying gratitude, she looked up at the sky, at the three red kites bobbing in the dying light, and whispered the truest words she knew. “Thank you.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Moonglow Cove
FUSIBLE WEB: A material that has been treated with an adhesive that fuses fabric pieces together when pressed with a warm iron.
WORD SPREAD FROM one side of Moonglow Cove to the other. The Moonglow sisters were back together again, twenty years after they first came to live in the stately old Victorian at the end of Moonglow Boulevard, and the townsfolk rejoiced.
But there was more to the reunion than simple homecoming.
The sisters bore the scars of five years spent apart; they had become warriors through trials and tribulations. Their union was stronger now than ever, their suffering forging them into the steel of courage, truth, and right action.
They were sisters in every sense of the word, banding together to make their grandmother’s final days extraordinary. They expanded their world to include their loving community of Quilting Divas, the Chamber of Commerce, and the hospital employees. They threw galas and fundraisers for those in need, hosting quilting bees and beach events.
With their blond hair blowing in the Gulf breezes as their smiles pumped everyone around them with enthusiasm, the sisters conducted yoga classes and wreath-making workshops and kiteflying lessons. Every night that endless summer, they linked arms and walked along the beach, before returning home to Grammy and Darynda.
When summer turned to fall, and Grammy’s health improved, she moved in with Darynda closer to the city center. Fun-loving Shelley transformed the Moonglow Inn into a vibrant B&B with a gourmet chef, a six-month waiting list, and stellar Yelp reviews. She and the chef hit it off and food was not the only thing cooking in that sizzling kitchen.
Responsible Madison went back to Manhattan to her homemaking show and reconnected with her ex-fiancé, Finn. They worked through their issues and the grief over losing their baby that had torn them apart and were rebuilding their love and trust with each other. Madison stayed in contact with her sisters every day and flew home once a month to see them.
Gia moved in with Mike and she worked hard to fill Pippa Grandon’s wedding kite order. Mike helped in the evenings when he’d finished his woodworking. Together they got the job done in half the time and were able to move on to planning their wedding.
The sisters looked like moonglow—shimmering, golden-haired, luminous. There was magic to them. A softness. A shining. A warm, gentle light.
Once again, the sisters brought smiles to faces and the entire town embraced them. Loved them. Rejoiced when they all came together for Gia and Mike’s wedding day.
It was a joyous family reunion. Things had shifted and changed, but one thing stayed constant and enduring, their deep abiding love for one another.
People whispered, “If the Moonglow sisters can make it through the worst of times, so can we.”
Indeed, they were the shining example of a family transmuted by overwhelming grief into open acceptance of the sweet mystery of life. They had all come full circle back to wholeness.
Epilogue
Helen
GRANDMOTHER’S FLOWER GARDEN: Grandmother’s Flower Garden is a popular and traditional quilt pattern made using clusters of hexagons to create flowers.
Gia’s Wedding Day, One Year Later
My Dearest Darling Granddaughters,
As I write this, I sit on the back veranda in my favorite Adirondack chair, watching as Gia and Mike take their wedding vows in front of the altar he built for her with his own hands. Beyond them the Gulf of Mexico stretches out true and blue, a timeless reminder that love is enduring.
Draped across my lap is the Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt that Madison, Shelley, Darynda, and I sewed for Gia’s wedding present, created from the remnants of the quilt Gia destroyed when she stopped trying to please everyone, including me. She passed her challenge with flying colors. The quilt now stands as the perfect symbol of what you girls have learned. That the old must fall away to make room for the new.
Holding on to the past is what hamstrung us all. Letting go of the hurt and embracing the love and the people we have in the present moment is the key to happiness. Never forget this, my loves.
Quilting holds the key.
I hope you continue to use the skills I’ve taught you. Use your memories to create something that keeps you warm at night, instead of clinging to worn-out emotions that tie you to past mistakes. We are all flawed, but we are also all perfect in our humanity.
Forgive one another. Love one another.
That is the lesson of the quilt.
Pyewacket, the scamp, is hiding in the flowers atop the altar, and I pray she does not decide to jump down onto them when the minister tells Mike he may kiss his bride. Although I suppose it might make for a lively ceremony and what a future quilt that memory will make.
Looking at the layer cake set on the table awaiting the beach reception, I feel so much joy. Three layers of flavor. A beautiful compromise thought up by our dear friend Anna Drury, now your sister-in-law, as each layer represents each of your personalities. White cake on the bottom for our traditionalist, Madison, devil’s food cake in the middle for our rule-breaking Shelley, and strawberry cake at the top for our peacemaking Gia.
The three of you unified again, as it should be.
So many symbols today and if you see tearstains on this letter, it is only because I am so very happy.
My heart overflows to see Madison with her Finn, who keeps his hand so softly on her pregnant belly. This little one will thrive and survive and be the first one to bring forth the new generations in Moonglow Cove. And Shelley grinning at her sous chef, Sebastian, who kneads the back of her neck as they sit together. I sense another wedding in the offing.
I watch as Mike takes Gia’s hand and puts his ring on her finger and vows to love, honor, and cherish her to the end of his days. I know with certainty that he will. Never have I seen such devotion, except in the eyes of my own partner. I recall, in the misty way of newlyweds, our sweet Christmas wedding, one month after I finished chemo, when I was blessed to marry the woman I have loved for over fifty years. It was thrilling to publicly declare my love for her and to have all of you there as witnesses.
These things I will remember until I draw my dying breath. Love. Devotion. Selflessness. How all you girls came together to save the inn, to save me, and in turn, to save each other.
Bliss fills me now as I look back on what we’ve regained. Our sense of family. Our closeness. Our unconditional acceptance of one another’s strengths and flaws.
I am prouder of you than I have ever been, and I’m filled with the knowledge that you girls are strong and resilient and can weather life’s storms without me.
—With all my abiding love, Grammy
HELEN CHAPMAN FINISHED writing the love letter to her granddaughters, set down her pen, and turned to the white-haired woman sitting beside her. “I’m ready to go. They don’t need me anymore.”
Tears streamed down Darynda’s face as she leaned in to kiss Helen. “When the time comes . . .”
“You know what to do.” Then Helen closed her eyes, sank back against the Adirondack chair, clung tight to Darynda’s hand, and with a smile on her face, listened to the loving sounds of her family around her.
And it was the happiest moment of her life.