This
is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in
their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share,
if you wish, to future generations. - See more at:
http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
This
is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in
their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share,
if you wish, to future generations. - See more at:
http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
The prompt for the week is:Inherited Items
There is something very special about inheriting an item from a family member. It doesn't have to be the riches, in terms of monetary value, or in the finest condition. Sometimes, just knowing that an item has stood the test of time in whatever shape it is now, is enough.
That link between the past, present and future as you in turn pass it along.
This week share those thoughts, memories and pictures. Lets having a trip down memory lane as with the passing along of each item there is always memories attached.
Items passed along
Inherited Items are something that cannot every be replaced. Its not the cost of them, its who the item has represented. In fact, things haven't exactly been explained to me when they have been handed down.They were here you go. It wasn't until I was older I understood what happened.
Grandma Jean
Grandma Jean I spent alot of time with growing up. I used to spend two weeks of the year with her, which was interesting as I never knew what we'd get up to, but I did know we would drive some place in her car, watch "Days of Our Lives" and play cards. These things she loved to do.
One of the other things she passed along was Polish foods - usually what we term Bow Ties and another dumpling type of food. She did make pickled pigs feet, but I never liked them. Now every Christmas, or when I'm thinking about her, I make the Bow Ties.
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| Bow ties or chrusciki I made |
When I was about 9 or 10, she once gave me a small pot with some small cups. She said she played with them when she was growing up. She then gave them to me. Because of our constant moving, they were broken over time, which always made me sad. Out of the whole set, I only have one tiny cup left which I've glued together.
The other thing that was given to me by my mother, was her cousin Jimmy's air force wings. I have mentioned these before in my posts. He gave these to her on his last night of his leave before he was shipped out. About 3 weeks later, he was killed in a flight.
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| Great Cousin Jimmy's wings |
What makes these so much more important was when I asked my mother what happened to him and why was he killed and buried, she didn't know. This was one of the two persons (the other was my Grandma Jean) who got me started in genealogy. Because of this, I feel a special connection to them both.
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| Mystery solved - what happened to Great Cousin Jimmy |
Great Grandpa Adam
I do know my great grandfather Adam (Grandma Jean's father) had left my father a watch which was powered by the pulse in your arm. My father then gave it to my brother, Charlie, as he was the only male heir. I'm not sure where it is today.
Our "Children"
Since the children were confirmed, we celebrate these each year by remembering them when we put an ornament on the tree. As its looking more and more likely we won't have children, I'm not sure if anyone will continue this tradition once we are gone.
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| Our 2 confirmed pregnancies - angel is our Feb baby I miscarried and the bootie is for Jamie Sweetpea who was our ectopic pregnancy. |
Unfortunately, this is one of the things that must be talked about when you mention things passed down in my family. It must be talked about in order to stop the cycles. From what I've been able to find, on my maternal side, my grandfather did it (but so did my great grandfather to him and his siblings too), my great grandfather Jagodzinski (mother's mother's father) I believe did it as well (because none of his children wanted anything to do with him), my father wasn't a sterling example either, but I'm not sure if his father could have passed it down as well. As you can tell, each time the abuse occurred it was carried down the line. Its time it has to stop. Thankfully, as far as I can tell, this has been done with my generation for the most part.
The Future
Rings
I know one thing my grandmother wanted was to pass down rings to each of the girls in the family. The rings were solitaires of their birth stone. My grandmother bought one for me and had me promise to hand it down. However, the stone came out and then upon moving the band part of the ring was lost. I have plans to replace this as soon as I can.
Further, once I am able, I will buy my 3 nieces rings and they all can be passed down from them to their children. Again, if we are ever blessed with a living child, they too, will get a ring or watch as well to pass down.
Ornaments
Also, in the past 2 years, as I've been finding out more about my backgrounds, I have bought unique Christmas ornaments for each name of the family. I have then labelled them with the family name and have it labelled in both English as well as the language that was common to them. Note: I haven't been able to source any from Belgium or Denmark, so I haven't been able to do those sides of the family. If I don't find them soon, I will have to get the ornaments from another place close to those countries.
Stories
I have plans to write up each persons life story as far as I can find it and give those out as well. However, this might take me a lifetime to do to do everyone as I am still in the research mode.
As you can see, you have many different ways you can remember people. As they are part of you, they should be remembered - from the good to the bad. This is the only way to stop the circles of abuse and meanness that has been passed down from one generation to the next.
