I've inherited many small, yet special items from my Mother and Grandmother. One such item is a small, hand carved toy rocking chair that belonged to my Mother. Her Grandfather carved it for her when she was very young. My Mother was born in 1922 so I would estimate the toy rocking chair is over 90 years old. When I was growing up Mother always had the little chair on a shelf or somewhere around the house where she could see it. It meant a lot to her since her Grandfather carved it for her and she loved him very much. In turn it has meant a lot to me and I keep it on a shelf near my sewing machine. I never knew my Great-Grandfather because he died before I was born, but I heard many wonderful stories about him as I was growing up.
I don't know if it is just me or not but small items like this mean more to me than anything of any monetary value. I love to hold it and think about it's history and how something so simple can come to mean so much.
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| My Mother between her two older brothers in about 1926. |
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| My Great-Grandfather that carved the rocker and one of his other grandchildren. (he lost his leg when younger and working with the railroad) |
Bonnie, this is very touching - what a wonderful thing to keep, it is alive with the memories attached to it, all the way through the generations! Your Great-Grandfather sounds a bit like my Granddad (my Mum's Dad). He was the kind of Granddad I wish every child could have - always there for us, making things for us and telling us stories he'd made up around the characters of two stuffed toys we had at our grandparents' house. Never, not once, did we hear the words "I don't have time" or "not now" from him!
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures, too.
I love family items that are alive with memories as you say. How wonderful that your Granddad was such a kind and loving person to leave you with the happy memories you have!
DeleteBonnie I have two salt cellars my grandfather brought out to Australia from Ireland around 1900. I hope one of my five children will treasure them. They are cut glass.I never knew any grandparents so this is very special. Love your rocking horse what patience he must have had. Best wishes Marie
ReplyDeleteHi Marie, welcome to my blog! It is indeed special that you have the salt cellars from your grandfather. I love the thought of passing a family treasure such as that through the generations of the family. It adds such depth to a family when previous generations can be remembered. Thank you for your comment Marie and I hope you have a good week!
DeleteYou are correct, family items hold far more pleasure then anything purchased, I have some of my mum's handicraft, which I treasure, and my true joy is my daughter loves them as well, so they will stay in the family another generation.
ReplyDeleteHi, how good to see you again! It is wonderful that you have some of your mum's handicraft. I'm sure you do treasure it all knowing she put so much into making it. I do understand your joy in knowing that your daughter also loves them and they can be passed down as the family treasure they are for you all.
DeleteWhat a special keepsake to pass down through the generations. Lovely. And I love the picture of your mother and her brothers. She has a little parasol to keep the sun off! Precious!
ReplyDeleteI love old pictures like that! It is good in my opinion if there are items that can be passed down and cherished by family members. Not all people care about such things these days but I am hoping a few items can be passed down in my family. Thank you Jennifer for stopping in today! I hope you have a wonderful day!
DeleteI can see how you value something he handled with love for the little girl. Such a treasure. In the bottom picture do you see the child resting her hand on the crutch, so acceptingly? What a nice family.
ReplyDeleteThank you Boud. I love old family photographs that seem to tell us about days long ago. These pictures are from my Mother's side of the family and they have all been truly special and loving people.
DeleteI guess that having lost a leg so tragically his movement was restricted so he had plenty of time to carve that precious chair. In that photo your grandfather has a tall, dignified bearing as if he was determined that losing the leg would not define him.
ReplyDeleteI have a silver cigarette box that was given to my mother when she got married in December 1945 - in Delhi, India.
Although I never knew my Great-Grandfather, I was always told that he never considered letting his loss of a leg define him in any way. He still worked hard and took care of his family and so did my Great-Grandmother who was blind from smallpox. I did know my Great-Grandmother and I remember how she would line us kids up, oldest to youngest, and feel the top of our heads to see how much we had grown!
DeleteHow wonderful that you have a silver cigarette box given to your Mother when she married! That is a precious piece of family history for you to pass down.
My maternal grandmother died ten years before I was born. For a reason I can’t remember, I ended up with her wedding ring. I wore it for many years on my pinky finger. It is small and thin and has no monetary value but I loved having it. Four years ago, I took it off my finger and gave it to my oldest granddaughter. We both cried and she tells me now how much she treasures it. Passing down the love of family is a wonderful thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful story! I love that it means just as much to your Granddaughter to have that ring from both her Great-Grandmother and Grandmother! You are so right, passing down the love of a family is a wonderful thing! Thank you for sharing that beautiful story.
DeleteThat is a true treasure! Very few things have been handed down in my family. Love the old photos! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Rita. You can always pass down the good stories and memories of your time growing up. I love old photos too! They help to bring the past to life. Have a great day Rita!
DeleteLove it, Bonnie. I am with you about the small family treasures meaning more than anything else. I have a few items like that including some stacking rocks that were given to me. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI think it's nice to have things that can be passed down and help the younger generations remember those that came before them. How interesting that you have some stacking rocks. You and your family take care too and stay well.
DeleteThat chair is just a perfect work of art! I bet it took a long time to carve...what a treasure!
ReplyDeleteWell, I know it was a work of love and my Mother always cherished it and I do as well. I know you and Far Guy can do some of the most beautiful carving I have ever seen!
DeleteYes...it is similar with me...the small things mean so much. They mean nothing to anyone else...but to me...(and yours to you) are cherished and oh, so important.
ReplyDeletePrecious, and cherished...monetary value...which in most instances is zero...plays no role.
Best wishes to you and Tom, Bonnie...keep taking good care. :)
By the way...that little rocking chair is simply beautiful....
DeleteThank you Lee. Yes, some of the most cherished items have a value only in the memories and people attached to them. But those, to me, hold the strongest value. I hope you are well Lee!
DeleteAll I have left are the little things. A tiny cast iron elephant from my great grandmother. Origin unknown. Two small figurines that stood on either side of a grandfather clock on my grandmother's wall, over my mother's piano. Four tiny soapstone babies gifted my father when he told his coworker his wife was expecting.
ReplyDeleteOh Joanne, those may be little things but they sound very special. I've had to let go of many of the larger items due to lack of space, but I'm keeping the little things and hoping a family member may want them one day. Your special things that you've saved sound lovely and I know they each hold precious memories for you.
DeleteOh, how nice it is to have such loving memories from your mom. One of my grandfathers died when my mom was still a young woman, long before I was born. I only remember meeting my other grandfather two or three times. I was not close to any grandparent, but my hubby's grandmother was Grammy to everyone she knew, and treated me as such. The whole neighborhood called her Grammy for real.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your hubby's Grammy was one special lady! I bet you and your hubby both have many special memories about her!
DeleteI hopped to your blog from Starting Over, Accepting Changes blog. That little rocking chair is really darling. When I see all the fires in California and people losing their homes I always feel so sad because they must have had family mementos like that. When my father died my mother, in Paris (France) insisted to have a huge wooden crate of family things, including the family grandfather clock, shipped to me (via a ship – in 1974.) Being so far away from home and most of my family over there having passed away, having these things here is comforting.
ReplyDeleteYour old photographs are also so pretty and meaningful.
Hello, how nice to see you here! You know I feel the same way when I hear of house fires or other disasters. It's the family mementos and photographs that mean so much, not the items of monetary value.
DeleteHow wonderful that your Mother had those special family items shipped to you! She knew how much they would mean to you. Thank you for stopping by - it's very good to meet you!
What a lovely piece of wood work, Bonnie - how lucky you are to have it. When I think of all the "things" we have, there are none that came from past generations. I think they had so little money they couldn't afford things that weren't useful, and the useful items were used until they were worn out. I do have a plate and a vase that came to me from folks outside my family who were more well-to-do, but they don't have the same memories as family items would.
ReplyDeleteHow nice to see you Jenny! As I told someone else, everyone may not have "things" passed down but hopefully most people have memories and those can be passed down. I guess because I am interested in family history, I want my adult children and grandchildren to know who came before them. I hope things are going well with you and your husband. xxx
DeleteSomething that was special to me was a rocking chair that my grandparents had bought for me when I was just three. I shouldn't remember it, but I do because my sister received and identical one and the two chairs were shipped in a large box that I played and played in. I've had that chair all of my life. I just passed it down to my grand daughter Iris. It's as sturdy as the day I received it.
ReplyDeleteHi Debby, welcome! I love your story of the special rocking chair that your grandparents gave you. It is wonderful that you were able to keep it all this time and pass it down to your granddaughter. Being able to do that makes it all the more special for both you and your granddaughter. Who knows, someday she may pass it down to a child of hers! Have a wonderful weekend Debby!
DeleteI always think it's strange when people say that "things" don't matter, because they do, like your rocking chair, because they out live us, and are a constant and lovely reminder of that person.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right Joey. So many people are into minimalism now and I understand it and agree up to a point. The things that do matter to me are the personal ones that have belonged to a loved one and been passed down.
DeleteWhat a treasure that little chair is! I have a rocking chair that belonged to my mom (she was born in 1929) that a neighbour made for her when she was a child. My grandfather died when my mom was only two-years-old and the neighbour became a good friend of the family (and, I suspect, a great comfort to my grandmother). That little chair is one of my treasures. I loved it when my granddaughter used it when she was little too.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, how nice to see you. Your chair sounds wonderful! Don't you love it when something special like that can be passed down and enjoyed through the generations!
ReplyDeleteFabulous memory and photos on a fabulous retirement blog! What a great thing you are doing with this blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks Charlie! I enjoy sharing thoughts and memories with others. There are some wonderful people in the blogging world. It's great to see you here!
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