Kaleidoscope Summer (Samantha's Story) Read Online Free PDF Page B

fingertips . Natu re had become silent music that performed a concert o of love for my soul .
    The endlessness of the sea left me in awe, yet vulnerable . L ife had stopped making sense. And now, Logan complicated it more. Several times he had stop ped by the shop with a late lunch for the two of us. And he never forgot Gol die. Those two had formed a mutual admiration society. W hat were we forming, Logan and I?
    T wo weeks of my month- long leave of absence had v an ished with little progress in my search for answers. Being injured hadn’t helped. Enough. I slid off the hard surface and headed back down the sandy path.
    Ma ggie lifted her head , rubbing the back of h er gloved hand across her face , leaving a smear of dirt behind.
    I told her, and ran my fingers along my cheek mirroring the streak .
    “ Part of t h e charm of my favorite hobby . ” Smiling, she stood and stretched her back. “ We should get re ad y for Thelma’s qu ilting class—s he w on’t be pleasant if we’re late. ”
    We changed and roared out of the driveway in Maggie’s convertible . I balanced my hat on my knees as the wind lifted and rearranged my hair to its liking . I kicked pride aside and surrendered. “Y ou’ve almost persuaded me to trade in my SUV for a convertible.”
    “It’s a fun ride, especially in a seaside town.” The church came into view and Maggie pulled into the parking lot.
    S igns labeled Q uilti ng C lass directed us to the designated room. Q uilts in vivid colors were draped on portable racks . I used extra care to ke ep Goldie away from the fabric masterpieces . Thelma adored my little girl, but she would n’t appreciate a trail of fur on her beautiful works of art.
    Maggie tapped my arm. “I’d like you to meet R achel Hernandez—we went to school together.” In return , she introduced me as Anne’s daughter, and after acknowledging each other , we continued viewing the display.
    R achel pointed to one of the designs . “Thelma made this story quilt for her daughter. Here’ s her baby block—i f you follow the path , it ends with her wedding .”
    “Aw , her first step .” I studied the little squares . “ Fits with the uniqueness God placed within each of us.” T he scripture , I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb , came to mind. I recalled how Miss Emmy helped me memorize verse after verse.
    Maggie looked back at me . “Good analogy . ”
    “I ’d make a story quilt, but w hat a warpe d tale it would be .” I hated it when I voiced negative tho ughts out loud. S omeone touch ed me and I tu rned. Julia stood right behind me.
    “ Sweetie, w hat if the story isn’t ready to be told —it’s still being fashioned? ” Julia gave me a hug.
    “Who’s minding your shop?” Mag gie had taken me to Julia’s coffee shop on my first venture into town after my accident.
    “ Honey, I simply hung the closed sign on the door . M iss ing this class—not about to happen .” At that moment, Thelma arrived in her usual take-charge fashion . “Ladies, let’s get started.” Her arms waved through the air as she directed everyone to find a seat .
    M aggie and I hurried to grab chairs in the front row so I had a clear view of the instructor , and room for Goldie at my feet.
    Thelma led the group in prayer and segued straight into teacher mode. She used a square of fabri c pulled tau t inside a hoop to illustrate the placement and bas ting of the appliqué s, a long with the “ needle tuck ” method of stitching them down . “All it takes is patience and practice. Like most worthwhile things in life .” She drew her presentation to an end with printed instructions for the class to take home. “I f you have a problem, you know wher e to find me. Refreshments are in the back of the r oom . But don’t even think about going near one of my quilts with food.”
    I took a closer look at the piece she’d used for teaching , and m y fingers itched to try. I grinned at the visual of me