"She hath done what she could"

I wear this gold thimble on a chain around my neck, it was a gift from my grandmother many years ago, before I was a quilter (amazingly there was such a time!). I had it made into a pendant a while back, when I learned that it could be transformed into a piece of jewelry without compromising the integrity of the piece. I treasure it as much for it's beauty as for it's history. My Pastor asked me about it on Wednesday and I could only recall a portion of the story behind it's age and how my grandmother came to own it. When Nannie gave it to me she explained that it had been made for Sarah Elizabeth Barker, that it was a child's thimble, and that it had been given to my grandmother by Sarah Elizabeth's sister-in-law after Sarah's untimely death. I could vaguely recall where Sarah's resting place was in my hometown cemetery and I knew that a quick phone call to my Dad would be able to reveal more details, my Dad happens to be the caretaker of that cemetery. It seems that Sarah Elizabeth Barker was born on May 6, 1831. She died Sarah Elizabeth Barker Wood on July 4, 1871 of complications following childbirth; her infant daughter, born and died on June 30, 1871 is buried alongside her mother. Her gravestone is engraved with this sentiment: "she hath done what she could". A quick brush of leaves and debris from the foot of the marker also reveals this engraving: "here at my feet lies my pet cat, Tommy, age 17 years". That's a lot to take in. If the thimble belonged to Sarah at age 10 that makes it approximately 167 years old! I feel a deeper connection to Sarah now; she was a wife, mother, loved her pet, and did what she could. All this documenting one short, (too short) life on a slab of ages-old granite in a New England cemetery. I'll proudly wear this pendant with much more understanding, and heightened reverence, from now on. It's the least that I can do; for an amazing and inspiring woman, for Sarah Elizabeth Barker!

Life is Good!