Friday, January 22, 2010

Reminders of the past


I was reading a post by Irish Gumbo in which he describes the mementos of the past that were a reminder of the love that built him.  It made me reflect on what kinds of mementos I have that speak to me of love. 

The house is filled with all kinds of "treasures".  One person described it as a museum to my past.  And in many ways, that is true. In every room, there is the furniture that was passed down from one generation to the next.  There is china and silver which were used by several generations.  I sometimes imagine the food that these objects held and what the conversation was around the table. 

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is the Hepplewhite table that my father built.  Another is the old Hepplewhite dining table that dates back over 200 years and was used by me when I was drawing and painting. My mother would spread out newspapers over it, and I was allowed to take my art lessons there.  And then there is the old cherry tester bed which was on a schooner and was the bed that I slept in as a child. All are reminders of the hands that built, polished, rubbed, and used the pieces.  How many meals were eaten at the tables? Who made love in the bed?

And then there are the many small pieces of the past that are part of this house.  As I was walking past an old pie safe this morning, I saw the fish scaler that my father used.  He would stand at the fish cleaning table and scrape the scales off the fish before he gutted them.  I would stand by his side, fascinated even then by the iridescent light of these scales as they flew off the fish. 

Next to the fish scaler is a tobacco plug cutter, a sausage stuffer, and an old block used to hoist up hogs for killing.  These are some mementos of my father's life on the farm.  Some of my mother's mementos are pressed ferns, tree leaves, and flowers from her botanical studies; starfish and shells that she collected and carefully labeled; her journals, photo albums, old letters and postcards written in her lovely cursive.  The house is filled with other paintings, photos, and artifacts of the family.  And each one is a reminder for me.

These are the things that remind me not only of the love that shaped me but of the love that shaped my forebears. They may be just old things to many people, but to me they speak in whispers of my connectedness, my self, my past, and now my present. 

15 comments:

  1. Having just lost my father, these words are so pertinent to me today. I was given 3 boxes marked "mom and grandmothers keepsakes." They remain in my garage unopened until the time that my sisters are all gathered and we can explore the contents together. I just love the perspective of love and these precious things being a part of who we are today. Thanks for that Syd.

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  2. You are fortunate to have the "old things" to generate such fond memories and you are wise to appreciate that.

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  3. The old things just help bring the memories back, but they are there in your head regardless of the things.

    I know that the tactile sensation when remembering is something powerful though.

    Have a good weekend.

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  4. Thnks for the post.
    Yes, I think having little pieces here and there to remember good times, and good people is a wonderful way to be well rounded.

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  5. I call mine "touchstones". I treasure them. I hope to pass them on one day, along with the stories that belong to them. Nice memories..

    namaste

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  6. You are sentimental Syd, I think that is sweet. I have moved so many times, I'm a minimalist out of necessity.

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  7. Great posting.thank toy for showing us a glimpse into you formitive years and what every thing means to you.I haope that you and yours have a fantanstic weekend.Mike G.said that.

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  8. Syd, you've done it again. Put into words in the perfect way what I feel. You did this when you wrote, old things - "to me they speak in whispers of my connectedness, my self, my past, and now my present."

    Amen.

    PG

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  9. oh if things could talk, what a tale they'd tell... you have some lovely memories there though, and that in itself make them priceless.

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  10. 'Touchstones' is a lovely word -- I share your feeling for the old books and mirrors and porcelain around me, loved objects and symbolic of relatedness.

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  11. Syd: I so appreciate the way you see things around you when the whole world is trying to revamp their house every six months.

    I liked the lines: "These are the things that remind me not only of the love that shaped me but of the love that shaped my forebears. They may be just old things to many people, but to me they speak in whispers of my connectedness, my self, my past, and now my present."

    Thanks for this lovely post.

    Joy always,
    Susan

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  12. That is a beautifully written perspective on a home.

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  13. What a beautiful post, Syd. You are the perfect person to have received these passed-down mementoes, because you cherish them. I have my grandfather's gardening hat, and his old scale, and my great-grandmother's library table, and the list goes on. We are the right people to be keepers of the past.

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  14. Oh Syd, this is beautiful. I can see a lot your father and mother in you. Keepsakes and reminders are to be treasured, its goo you have so many to bring back good memories.

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  15. Your place sounds great, Syd. I, too, love to be surrounded by old things from my family and past. They make me feel safe and loved.

    Love, SB.

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