Grand Thoughts: Good friends may leave, but they never go away

photo Karen Nazor Hill

I love where I live - on a dead-end street in a nice, quiet neighborhood.

Our neighbors are nice, but we rarely see one another, and I understand why. Everyone is busy. We're either at work or busy with our families. We just don't take the time to get to know one another better.

It didn't use to be that way.

When I was growing up in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., my family knew every family in our neighborhood. The majority of the children went to the same school, so when we weren't in school, there's a good chance we were playing together in the neighborhood.

It wasn't much different for my children growing up in Brainerd. Though my children went to parochial and private schools, they still knew every child in the neighborhood.

And we got to be very good friends with the folks who lived in the house behind us - the Klassens: Jimmy, Ginny and Link. We celebrated holidays together; we picnicked together; we did a lot together.

Then life changed.

Kids grew up. We all moved away and, though we'd check in with one another now and then, it would never be the same.

Still, the wonderful memories are ever-present, especially at Christmas when I get out my decorations.

Ginny Klassen, who now goes by her maiden name, Ginny Stone, could put Martha Stewart to shame. Ginny is a talented seamstress and everything she touches turns to gold. Whether it's a sewing project, a home-cooked meal or designing a room, Ginny's talents allow her to excel in everything she sets out to accomplish. (She went to college after her son, Link, grew up and got married. She graduated from the University of Tennessee with a 4.0 grade point average, joined the Peace Corps, and much more).

And she's super-generous.

I have many Christmas ornaments and wall hangings that were crafted by her. They are some of my most prized decorations, particularly the two quilted wall hangings that she made 30 years ago of my children - Kacee, Karah, Kevin and Kit. One wall hanging features the girls as angels and the boys as choir boys.

Last year, when I was getting out my Christmas decorations, I got the bright idea of contacting Ginny to see if I could commission her to make a new wall hanging of my three grandchildren - Tilleigh, Evie and William. It was a long shot, but I had to give it a try. I gave her a call and she didn't hesitate to give me an answer - yes.

It was too late in the season for her to make the hanging then, so she said she'd have it ready for Christmas 2014. She brought it to me last weekend.

And I cried. I don't think I have one piece of art in my house that will ever mean as much to me as this new piece Ginny made of my grandchildren.

In the wall hanging, Ginny has the children decorating a huge Christmas tree. She crossed-stitched "Merry Christmas" at the top, and the children's names at the bottom. But it's something else she stitched on the hanging that took away my breath.

Back when we were neighbors (early '70s to early '90s), my parents, Red and Evelyn Lancaster (now deceased), lived next door to me. The Klassens, the Nazors and the Lancasters were close.

When my mother died last July, Ginny cut out the photograph that was published with her obituary in this newspaper and blew it up to 11-by-14 inches. Then, using white thread on white cloth, she cross-stitched Mother's eyes and lips onto the background of the wall hanging. In other words, Ginny has my mother watching over her great-grandchildren.

Oh, my goodness. How thoughtful can anyone be?

I was speechless when she pointed it out. But not for long, because I started crying. She started crying. We stood there, in my driveway (she couldn't wait to get into the house to show me), hugging one another. I love her.

The piece is priceless, and I will forever treasure it.

Thank goodness for neighbors. How could I be so lucky?

Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.

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