Over the past eleven years, my Tie One On Day gestures of kindness have centered around deliveries of baked goods, hearty soups and casseroles.
This year’s November deliveries have been of that norm, until my path crossed last Monday with Megan, a long-ago high school classmate of my sons. In playing catch up, she mentioned preparing for hosting an extended family Thanksgiving for forty (!), and in attendance would be her husband’s beloved grandmother, Eleanor Rusler.
Some 16 years ago, I told Megan, Eleanor was among the first to share her apron memory with me. I remember visiting her at the farm, where she reminisced about her grandmother, a wonderful seamstress who made pin money by sewing clothing, including aprons, for others. Her story and aprons were included in The Apron Book.
Eleanor gave me an apron sewn by her grandmother, and it was time to return it to her family.
In a Tie One On Day package, I included the apron and a copy of my book with Eleanor’s story marked with an apron cut-out, on which I’d written an apron memory of my own. Copy the template, I wrote to Megan, and provide pens to her guests to record their apron memories of Eleanor; then read the memories aloud.
Eleanor had never mentioned to the family that she was once interviewed for an apron recollection that was included in a book. Megan’s delight when she heard this news solidified my decision to return the apron to its rightful home.
Preparing the package, I experienced the same unexpected joy of my first Tie One On Day delivery, and the win/win of extending a gesture of kindness.
Giving from the heart before giving thanks at Thanksgiving…that’s the message of Tie One On Day.
xxxellynanne
What’s in my pocket?
Aprons bring me so much comfort! I wear one every day. I believe in give back.
Hi, I am in Australia and celebrated Tie One On Day with my craft group who were a bit puzzled by it but enjoyed the food I took. Also the beautiful embroidered apron I wore. This is what puzzles me. I have a very large collection of hand embroidered aprons most of them I consider true works of art as they feature fully embroidered ladies. The aprons I see in America are pretty but just fabric with no embroidery. Some of my embroidered aprons date from the 1920’s and 30’s and commemorate certain events.
Were American women too busy to embroider and Australian and New Zealand women kept more in the home? A lot of my aprons have never been worn and I wish they could tell me their story of why. Hours and hours of expert embroidery then packed away. A bit sad to me. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?