Myrtle Turner Coker was my maternal grandmother. Although she died in 1982 the essence of her spirit is always with me. She was a remarkable woman, born in Stone County in the Missouri Ozarks where she and my grandfather, Claud Coker raised their family of five daughters.

Though times were very difficult for her, no one ever heard her complain. She went through life with the philosophy that there was good in everyone, and no obstacle was too great to conquer. Granny would have thought it a very ignoble thing for someone to let life get the best of them.

When I think of her my mind wanders back to a time when life was simpler. I recall visits to her house when she would sit patiently in the kitchen, teaching me the things she knew. She never got angry when things got spilled on her floor. She was the epitome of patience.

My favorite recollection is the old wooden box which she would bring in from the back porch, stand it underneath the ironing board so I would be tall enough and let me iron all the materials in her quilt scrap box. After the bits of cloth were ironed wrinkle free she would show me how to "piece" a quilt. All the colors were like a rainbow, created by her hands into works of quilted art. And as she quilted we would talk. She told me some remarkable stories and taught me particulars which have given me strength to get through the tough times in my life.

My favorite quilt was the Heart Quilt. It was made of four inch squares sewn together in various colors in rows to fit the size bed for which it was being made. . When the rows were completed the backing was pinned to the front of the quilt and put into a frame. The magic came by quilting one single heart in the center of each square, thus keeping the quilt together. The pattern originated in the Appalachian mountains and when finished the quilt was transformed into a glorious field of hearts..

Granny taught me that there is something about a Heart Quilt which just makes a person feel better when they are sad. She said that it is a sign that someone cared enough to make it and give it freely with love.

Occasionally I will put together a Heart Quilt for someone special, hoping that when they are wrapped in its warmth they will think of me, and the love that was stitched into the pieces. All the things Granny taught me remain with me today, sometimes clouded by "bad days", but somehow, the memory of her and the Heart Quilt always manages to come shining through just when I need her.