The theme of "Friendship" proved to be a very unexpected emotional journey for me. I looked up friendship in the dictionary, and not finding any of the definitions very inspirational, decided to just ponder the subject for a while. And then, watching bits and pieces of the Tony Awards on a Sunday evening, I heard the song, FOR GOOD, that still brings tears to my eyes. ("For Good" from the Broadway Play: "Wicked" in a lyrical conversation between Glinda, the "Good" Witch, and Elphaba, the "Bad" Witch.)
I was able to retrieve that segment of the Tony Awards on our DVR, and took a "video" of it on my iPhone. I've since played and re-played that 3-1/2 minute iPhone video dozens of times (still brings tears to my eyes !); have Googled the song to get all the lyrics, and finally, paid-for and down-loaded the sheet music from an on-line service called "Music Notes" that I frequently use.
Because of the emotional impact this song has on me, there was no doubt that "For Good" had to be my Friendship theme.
And, my apologies to Alice, but with this being our last MM reveal for this round, I took the liberty of changing the parameters just a bit. "For Good" needed more space than the allotted 12" x 12" and so, as my final challenge quilt, I made my quilt into 4 separate 12" x 12" pieces and bound them together as a quilted 'book' that I can read over and over again. The pictures I've attached don't effectively convey how the 'book' looks in real life, and the lyrics are so important, that I've taken another liberty, and have included them below so you can experience them for yourselves:
FOR GOOD
I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason,
Bringing something we must learn.
And we are led to those who help us most to grow, if we let them,
And we help them in return.
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true,
But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you.
Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun,
Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood,
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.
It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime,
So let me say before we part:
So much of me is made of what I learned from you,
You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end,
I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend.
Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea,
Like a seed dropped by a sky-bird in a distant wood,
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you... Because I knew you...
I have been changed for good.
And just to clear the air,
I ask forgiveness for the things I've done you blame me for.
But then, I guess we know there's blame to share,
And none of it seems to matter any more.
Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun
(Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea,)
Like a stream that meets a boulder half way through the wood,
(Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood,)
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe, I have been changed for the better.
And .... Because I knew you .... Because I knew you....
Because I knew you...
I have been changed
FOR GOOD
Peace and blessings to all the Dear Mavens. I look forward to our next round of challenges and continuing our extraordinary "Friendships" !
[I used the 4th page to print out the MM information about this quilt. Picture not provided.)
