Heather L Johnson
In Search of the Frightening and Beautiful
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stories

Stories contributed to In Search of the Frightening & Beautiful 4 / 2019. These are descriptions of transformative moments in people’s lives, from the subtle to the sublime. From each story I extract a key phrase and stitch it to a piece of linen that will be given as gifts to others I meet on the road, in exchange for a story of their own.

Stories contributed for the fourth leg of In Search of the Frightening & Beautiful. These are descriptions of transformative moments in people’s lives, from the subtle to the sublime. From each story I extract a key phrase and stitch it to a piece of linen that will be given as gifts to others I meet on the road, in exchange for a new story told.

Heather L Johnson. Houston, TX / Rockbridge Baths, VA

She sat there in her knitting chair, surrounded by her daughters and grandkids, attempting slowly to stitch the last rows of a purple blanket she wanted to finish for her closest friend. She looked down at me sitting on the floor and smiled calmly, her eyes warm and kind.

I thanked her feebly for her lifetime of support and generosity, not knowing what else to say. “Thank you for being born,” she said. 

Those were my mother’s last words to me. Two days later she was gone.

Heather L. Johnson
August 6, 2019

Rockbridge Baths, VA

My own story contribution to this project. Written a few days after my mother died in August, 2019.

My own story contribution to this project. Written a few days after my mother died in August, 2019.

Heather L Johnson