I received one of my most special packages ever in the mail yesterday. Since my grandmother’s passing last year, my family back on the east coast has been slowly going through her things, setting aside certain items for each family member. I received two boxes yesterday filled with treasures that exceeded any hopes I had for having something special to remember Nannie by.
This scarf was probably my favorite item in the box. It was neat that as I called my parents yesterday to tell them what I had received, and as I described this jade green paisley silk scarf, my dad knew exactly the item I was talking about – he could picture Nannie wearing it.
These wine glasses were a wedding gift for my grandparents. They were married for over 60 years, which means that these glasses are decades older than anything else we have in our kitchen cabinets. They are so beautifully delicate and “antique”. They are unlike anything I would ever pick out for myself and yet, somehow, they are perfectly my style. I look forward to sharing a special bottle of wine, poured in these glasses, next time our family is together.
This is a brooch that Nannie wore often – the epitome of my grandmother’s elegance and grace. I wore it today to brunch with some girlfriends and felt instantly classier the second I pinned it on.
As I look at these heirlooms, I can’t help but wonder, “What do Shane and I own that will be passed onto our family for generations?” Our wedding registry consisted mostly of basic kitchen necessities from Crate and Barrel, and it seems that we’ll probably outlast our Ikea furniture. For the most part, I’m okay with this – I’m glad that we have chosen to minimize our possessions, to keep a simple home. But it would be nice to have those two or three extra-special objects that our children or grandchildren would cherish one day. A friend reminded me today that traveling is a perfect opportunity to pick up something that has memory and meaning behind it, so I’ll soon be combing the streets of Paris for that special vase or necklace. Yes, I like that idea…
natalie says:
The diamonds in our wedding bands belonged to Matt’s great-aunt Fanny. His Mom gave us the rings, including the original box and purchase certificate from Chicago in the 1920’s and we decided to reset the stones as the original settings had been lengthened several times for her aging hands, nearly to beyond repair. We plan to continue to pass them along too, hoping to in a sense heirloom the gift it was for us to design our own rings and create our own unique treasures out of something someone else treasured.
January 25, 2009, 9:12 pmfrankie says:
hi there. i love your blog. and your grandmothers wine glasses. have you any idea the name of that pattern? they’re exquisite! thanks!
July 20, 2010, 4:13 pm