Daily Reminders
I was blessed to be born into a family of five generations, all alive and active and filled with love, opinions, ambition and energy. Since the Civil War, the women in this prolific family, in addition to being wives and mothers, have been entrepreneurs. It was natural for me to grow up believing that I could and would be a business owner. It was also natural for me to see objects that were generations old and still cherished, maintained, appreciated and used on a daily basis. We've passed our possessions from one generation to the next, extracting every ounce of use possible from armoirs and mirrors, beds and books, kitchen utensils and piano.
I'm the proud keeper of ironstone china dating to the 1860's, which will be passed on to my daughter someday, with seven generations of family photographs and an odd assortment of other memorabilia.
With these simple belongings will pass the stories of these strong, brave, hardworking women.Women who survived the War, the Depression, the dust bowl, fires, floods, the death of spouses, the loss of their homes and all trials that came their way.
These simple items of daily life are a touchpoint with these women . . . . a rememberance that if they worked hard enough and believed strongly enough to survive the tough times, that I have genetically programmed into me what it takes to survive what I may face.
The rolling pins, aprons and wedding bands are not the legacy . . . . the strength of character and spirit and ability to pray and laugh and carry on are the true legacy.
The antiques are there to encourage me each day.
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