This is the last week of my creative influencers series, and I am going to share my amazing grandmother, Elaine Pratt, with you. There are so many life lessons and skills that my grandma taught me that I will have to pick only a few to share.
One of the key life lessons she taught me that I think is so important to reflect on during our pandemic times is what I like to call “The Lifetime Principle.” When I was a teenager and everything felt dramatic and overwhelming, my grandma shared this little bit of advice during lunch with me. “Sarah, this is just a small moment in time. When you think about this compared to your whole lifetime, it's just a blip. You will overcome this and soon it will just be a memory.” I have carried that message with me through many struggles and it has always helped me.
My grandma, was a high school English teacher. She taught me a lot about writing and encouraged me to write short stories. She gave me the writing prompts that she used in class and a new notebook titled, “Sarah's Writing Journal” and my creativity in written word began. In 5th grade, my grandma gave me a writing assignment that could be sent in for a state contest. I don't remember what I wrote about but, I was super excited to receive a 3rd place letter of achievement from the Governor's office. When my kids were young and I was reading children's books all the time, I wrote a couple short stories of my kids' adventures. I'm not sure where that notebook is today!
When I was in high school, my grandma retired from teaching and found a new hobby in quilting. She decided to make each of her grandchildren a quilt as they graduated high school. She asked me what I would like and I chose a double wedding ring pattern. I didn't realize for a novice quilter that it was one of the most difficult patterns!
My grandma spent many hours teaching me to piece and hand stitch quilts. I was able to make each of my children a baby quilt and many more for myself and others.
When my daughter Elaina was 8, I asked my grandma to keep her a few days. When Elaina returned home she was so proud of the quilt that she had made with Great Grandma's help.
So many beautiful memories of amazing women in my life that taught me wonderful skills while encouraging my creativity. I have truly enjoyed sharing these memories with you!