Once Upon a Winter Quilt
Gail Cohen
- Despite
- a
- thorough
- search
- for
- a
- gift
- tag
- or
- card,
- Jon
- and
- Paulette
- couldn't
- find
- the
- name
- of
- the
- person
- who
- had
- left
- the
- unlikely
- gift
- of
- a
- quilt
- on
- the
- floor
- of
- their
- upscale
- Chicago
- high-rise
- during
- the
- Morgan's
- annual
- Yuletide
- party.Though
- they
- consider
- the
- quilt
- a
- strange
- choice
- of
- gift,
- its
- presence
- triggers
- a
- collective
- longing.
- Lives
- carved
- out
- on
- the
- "fast
- track"
- had
- all
- but
- obliterated
- commitments
- made
- earlier
- in
- their
- marriage.
- Now,
- those
- hopes,
- and
- dreams
- are
- jogged
- by
- the
- quilt--which
- disappears
- as
- quickly
- as
- it
- had
- arrived.As
- the
- Morgans
- examine
- their
- lives,
- the
- quilt
- begins
- an
- odyssey
- of
- its
- own.
- It's
- borrowed.
- Accidentally
- abandoned.
- Sold
- at
- a
- Cancer
- Society
- resale
- shop.
- Used
- to
- comfort
- a
- grieving
- child.
- The
- coverlet
- brings
- love
- to
- an
- elderly
- couple
- in
- the
- spring.It
- is
- stolen
- and
- auctioned
- off
- by
- the
- Chicago
- Police
- Department
- before
- inspiring
- a
- wedding
- proposal
- and
- then
- sheltering
- a
- lonely
- woman
- following
- her
- suicide
- attempt.
- Seasons
- change
- and
- so
- do
- the
- lives
- of
- those
- in
- the
- quilt's
- path.
- By
- year's
- end,
- it's
- been
- washed,
- ironed,
- shrunk,
- and
- sanitized,
- but
- its
- vivid
- colors
- and
- cheery
- patterns
- remain
- as
- rich
- and
- meaningful
- as
- the
- cloth
- had
- appeared
- at
- the
- Morgan's
- gala.When
- the
- holidays
- come
- around
- again,
- a
- shocked
- realtor
- finds
- the
- quilt
- in
- a
- repossessed
- house
- atop
- the
- body
- of
- the
- building's
- former
- owner.
- It's
- held
- in
- place
- by
- the
- woman's
- beloved
- cat
- who
- refuses
- to
- budge.
- Consequently,
- the
- coverlet
- and
- the
- feline
- are
- taken
- to
- The
- Cancer
- Society's
- resale
- shop.
- There,
- the
- story
- comes
- full
- circle
- when
- Jon
- and
- Paulette
- stop
- in
- to
- donate
- items
- they
- won't
- take
- to
- their
- new
- home
- in
- North
- Carolina.Though
- inspiring
- and
- tender,
- Once
- Upon
- a
- Winter
- Quilt
- is
- also
- a
- fun,
- heartwarming,
- soul-searching
- work
- that's
- full
- of
- hope.
- Twelve
- chapters
- are
- structured
- to
- offer
- individual,
- quick
- reads.
- The
- quilt
- unfolds
- as
- the
- story
- does,
- evolving
- from
- a
- tightly
- bundled
- of
- cloth
- to
- a
- splendid
- symbol
- of hope.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
