The Quilt

A very old man-George who had been placed in a nursing home by his family was a sad case-nobody ever came to see him. One day he stopped talking and refused to leave his room. He became a mute recluse, sitting alone in his room in his rocking chair all day staring out the window.

A woman resident-Maggie-had taken an interest in George, and when he disappeared she went in to visit with him. He didn't seem to mind, but he didn't respond, either. She had started working on a quilt and over time she moved her handiwork little by little into his room. She spent her days sewing and telling her life story, while he sat staring out the window. She had a million stories and was very happy to have someone listen to her. He sat and started. She talked. 

Months went by.

When Maggie finished the quilt, it was put on display in the main lobby of the nursing home. Everyone said it was one the most beautiful quilts they ever saw. The same week the quilt was finished, George passed away.

In the drawer of his night-stand the staff found an envelope marked, "To be opened when I die." The note inside said only, "Tell Maggie I love her." When they told her, she cried as if her heart would break for she had loved him too...she had made the quilt just for him.

And that's why George was buried wrapped in Maggie's quilt.

(Excerpt from: True Love by Robert Fulghum)