Friday, November 9, 2007

priceless artifacts:

we're still goin' through boxes o' stuff from when we sold mom's house over 2 years ago. today we came across a batch of old, hand written correspondence between her grandfather and her mom and dad. the flourish of the script is only slightly less compelling than the content.

one was dated 11-9-07.

"mom, what is today's date?"
"i don't know."
then she looked at her newspaper and told me, "it's November 8, 2007."

"so, i'm guessing this letter was either written tomorrow or 100 years ago tomorrow?"
"well, it couldn't have been written tomorrow. could it?"
"no ma'am."

"who do you think saved these things," she asked.
"i don't know. but i sure am glad 'they' did."
----------
there was another letter written in 1920, two years before mom was born.
it's from her maternal grandfather to her father. a not so obliging reply to a missive apparently requesting his daughter's hand in marriage.

after we discussed the letters, and the people who'd written them, she candidly asked, "who do you think will want these things after we're gone?"
i shook my head, "no one, i guess."

priceless artifacts, indeed. yeah? to whom?

update: (holy cow. i just looked at the date on this post. yes, i'm totally flabbergasted that today is really 11-09-07 and not at all surprised that mom was looking at yesterday's newspaper.)

one thing i know for certain: *i* sure as hell can't throw this stuff out.
[i'll scan them later and post them here for the intornet to save. just in case.]

6 comments:

Annie said...

What a lovely piece of history. Nowadays all the organizing and decluttering "professionals" tell us to throw everything away. Do you have anything saved that 100 years from now your great grandchildren will marvel at? Besides your carvings, of course.

cornbread hell said...

good question.

i don't think so.

¸.•*´)ღ¸.•*´Chris said...

Oh Rick, the stuff I have found, no one couldn't pry from my hands if they tried. One of my prized possessions is a valentine telegragh from my dad to my mom during the war. A few words professing his love for her miles away...I wept when I read it..so that doesn't suprise you I cry at the drop of a hat...lol.

I have found love letters from my grandparents, a slightly risque card from mymom tomy dad thanking him for a wonderful dinner and a delightful morning (????) just so many things that I will never throw out.

I don't know how I am going to preserve any of it but I am searching for something..maybe a scrapbook maybe...I dunno.

Simply priceless stuff. I know you will cherish it.

cornbread hell said...

chris, i'm pretty much at a loss regarding preserving all this amazing stuff. that's partly why i have this blog, i'm sure.

sometimes it pisses me off that only 2 of my relatives even read it, but that's just the nature of the beast, huh?

~Betsy said...

If for no other reason, box the things up again for future generations to find. Look how much fun you and Mom are having!

Anonymous said...

Memories are certainly priceless! I would LOVE to find this kind of family artifacts...The closest thing we've found is an old art/sketch book by my great, great aunt and a few old report cards...