Heirlooms

The other day my Mom and I went to visit my Papa Joe (maternal Grandfather.) We had a pretty normal conversation, but for some reason he was extra nostalgic and he started talking about lots of family memories... many of which occurred long before I was even thought of. My Grandmama passed away last fall, and so Papa Joe has been really tender lately. All of the sudden in our conversation he turned to a corner of his living room and retrieved a beautiful, familiar thing--a tiny rocking chair that I used to sit in as a little girl. It was my special little place. My Papa Joe told me that he wanted me to have the rocking chair and put it in my nursery when I have

children of my own. As I took that little chair from his house, I was so touched. It's amazing how much nostalgia and emotion can be stored in a little, family artifact. For now, the chair sits in the closet until I have a little one to sit in it.

A little later I looked around our condo and saw so many other heirlooms that brought a similar response. I saw the Easter tree that my Grandmama gave me a few years ago. I know that its June, but I still haven't put it away yet. :) Grandmama always bought me the funniest gifts, and I could never fathom where she had found them. But this Easter tree somehow became very special. It is even more special now that she isn't here to give me advice or tell me about her brave life.

When I went into my kitchen, I saw the Christmas dishes that my Granny gave me. My maternal grandmother was such a special person, and passed away when I was 12 or 13. I remember a few months before she died she called me over to her house. She was lying on the couch and had her oxygen on. We knew she didn't have much longer. It was the last time that I was alone with her. I wrapped the dishes in newspaper and we talked about so many important things. The things Granny said were always important. Now I see those dishes and it seems that a little part of her still surrounds them.




Though I know that we can't take anything material with us into the next life, I am grateful for the blessing of heirlooms. Sometimes when I feel alone, or am missing a loved one, I have something to hold onto to remind me that they're not really gone.