Threads of Love

Hyunjung

This is my grandma, on a couch in my living room. She’d come from Korea to visit our family, for the first time in years. I’d been really busy with schoolwork and tech theatre (this was during Cinderella tech/show week, so I would come home at 9 every single day), so I wasn’t able to spend as much time with her as I would’ve liked.

I remember complaining to her a lot about how cold it was to bike to school, and one day when I came home, she was sitting there, with bundles of yarn on the floor around her. Over the two weeks that she stayed with us, she’d knit beautifully detailed scarves for both me and my siblings, who, despite living far away, she’d always think of.

I admire my grandmother so deeply, and I hope this work accurately highlights the amount of love that she holds in her heart when she makes gifts for us.

My grandmother’s love language is making things for other people, whether that’s through home-cooked meals or knitted sweaters, and I feel like I never appreciate her as often as I’d want. Each and every one of her handmade gifts remind the members of our family that we are all loved and appreciated, even when we live far apart.

As someone who loves hand making things, I hope to put the same level of thought and care when making gifts for my loved ones. I want to reciprocate the love that my grandma shows me through this drawing, and I hope that she knows how much I admire her.

My grandmother grew up in old, rural Korea, in a time where she would work with her hands to make money. Today, in a world of quick machines and impersonal artifacts, she no longer needs to hand make anything. However, this is her love language, and the hours that she puts into making her gifts is just one of the ways she expresses her love for us.

People often forget the joy of making things for the people they love. Even small gestures of love, like your parent bringing you a plate of sliced fruit, often go forgotten or unappreciated, especially for teenagers.

I hope that this piece reminds people of the joy of doing little things for other people: whether that’s hand making a gift or simply being kind. Start acknowledging the things your loved ones do for you, no matter how small it may be. And maybe return the favor! We should all treat our loved ones with the same appreciation and care that my grandmother does.

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