Safety pins, straight pins, thimble, seam ripper, spools of thread, and various sizes of buttons were housed in my sewing box. Tucked in one corner was a crocheted piece of blue yarn that my mother gave me to use for a pincushion.

And then there were packets of needles, the front cover of which advertised “North American Fertilizer Company”. Edith Furgason worked for the Fertilizer Company and gave me packets of needles because she knew I liked to sew and would put them to good use.

The needles, pin cushion, and several spools of thread have accompanied me as a small collection of items needed whenever I traveled. I believed in being prepared to patch or repair whatever an occasion suggested.

The gifts of pincushion and needles are thoughts of the warm love and caring placed in my life to help me remember the smiles that were offered when I first received them.

The warmth still embraces me whenever I see the blue pincushion or pick up a needle to repair a seam.