If Wishes Were Pennies....

It seemed to Marlee Ada that her pa seemed more sad every day. She sometimes felt that he didn't even know she was around. She was helping her pa in every way she knew how. She helped with her baby sister, Whitlee Jo. She weeded in the garden and tried her best. She was still too little to do the things her mama used to do. It seemed like everytime she tried to help she made it even worse. Her brothers were more help than she was. They were older and tried their best to help out in the fields, but even so Pa still had to do things that their mama used to do. Besides his outside work he had to do the majority of  cooking, washing clothes, and helping take care of the house. It seemed like he was always tired.

"My mama planted so many seeds and just look only one little flower came up through these rocks and sticks. I almost wish my pa would find us a new ma. Sometimes I lay in bed at night and think and think so hard, but I can't hardly remember what my mama's face looks like anymore. Wish I had a picture of her.  We need help and some hugs. Pa don't have no time for hugs no more."

            ******
In Nell's cold little room she looked about in complete dismay, "Oh dear! Mrs. Thistlebloom said she would bring me material to make the baby quilt for her friend, but instead she brought me old a whole moldy trunk full of old clothes! She must have had these piles of old cast out clothes in her attic for a hundred years," she sobbed. "She is going to make me move. I won't even have a chance to move to Iowa or anywhere else for that matter. How will I ever ever make these old dresses and petticoats into a quilt for a baby? I might just as well pack my few clothes and get prepared to move. I wish I had never made that deal with Mrs. Thistlebloom."
Nell heard the knocking at the door and opened it to find her friend, Mittie. "Oh what's the matter, Nell? I thought you were so happy about making a quilt for Mrs. Thistlebloom. Oh I see she has already been here. My goodness she brought you just beautiful things to make a quilt out of. Aren't you the lucky one. Do you have an idea of a pattern that you would like to use for the quilt? I have time to help you cut squares and an extra pair of shears." With two of us working together you will get this baby quilt done in plenty of time."

Grandma Lu looked about the room and grinned at all of the familiar faces. "Well, what do you think of this new little bit of news? There were two good friends. One saw ugly and one saw beautiful. One thought of giving up and one thought that being a team would accomplish the goal of finishing the quilt in time. One girl saw Mrs. Thistlebloom as hateful and someone to be afraid of and one thought Mrs. Thistlebloom was kind and generous. One girl was sobbing and one girl was smiling. Is it possible that two friends can be so different, yet help and like each other? Is it possible that people can learn from each other without even realizing it? Let's see what happens."