A Mother's Hands Memorial

Ethel Trask, a dear friend and my maid of honor 42 years ago, just shared this link on Facebook: http://www.mothershandsmemorial.org/.  Ethel is of Armenian descent and is naturally interested in this new memorial. I was struck immediately by the beautiful imagery in the introductory paragraphs of the piece:

A Mother's Hands

Knot by knot, her hands weave the history of her people. The delicacy of the crochet integrated into this cross stone is symbolic of the beauty and strength of the Armenian heritage. This ancient culture lives forever, just as the imprint of the first genocide of the 20th century in the collective memory of the Armenians.

The blooming crossstone is the permanent reminder that the slaughter of more than 1.5 million Armenians within the Ottoman Empire will never be forgotten, that in spite of the pain and horror of the genocide, knot by knot, the Armenian People everywhere weave their hopes and dreams, as they bloom and prosper..

Most mothers and women thankfully, will never be called upon to experience the horror the Armenians suffered, but like the Armenians, "People everywhere weave their hopes and dreams, as they bloom and prosper.."

Lowell, Massachusetts is part of my family's history.  My mother grew up there among her immediate and extended family, many of whom worked in the very textile mills which were the foundation and origin of the town during the industrial revolution in America.  Those of you who've been in The Quilted Purl have perhaps noticed the "flying shuttles" and bobbins that came from those Lowell mills.  Many years later, my two sons were born in Lowell.

Hats off to the Mayor and City Council of Lowell for supporting this worthwhile endeavor and best wishes to the Armenian community in achieving their goal.