An Unexpected Family Heirloom is a Gift

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Inheriting family heirlooms can be a gift in itself, but the stories behind them are priceless. An Unexpected Family Heirloom is a Gift that will be forever treasured.

You would always hear that An Unexpected Family Heirloom is a Gift! Several years ago, when my clan & I were visiting my family in North Carolina, my mom gave me some things that she had inherited from her parent’s passing. Who would have thought I would have inherited these treasures. She knew I loved family treasures, especially those that have a story behind them. As I am sitting and looking at some of the family heirlooms, I was asking and soaking in all the information my mom shared with me about each one. She shared how holidays were always a big deal to our family & how feasts were prepared to celebrate!

The Story…

My great-grandmother, Lillian, was a very classy lady and she was always dressed to the nines. She was a very beautiful lady too! She must have loved her photo taken because there are so many photos of her. From what I gathered from my mom; my great-grandmother always had a camera in hand whenever there was a family gathering. I’d like to think that my love of photo taking and capturing memories was inherited from my great grandmom, Lillian. Not only am I a photographer, but I am usually the one with a camera at family gatherings. Kind of ironic, you think?

I was visiting my parents in North Carolina & I always look forward to chatting with my mom about our family history. I am always intrigued by these stories she would share with me. So, my mom had a box filled with photos & memorabilia. She gave me so many photos including several treasures. One of them being a very old beaded drawstring purse with two small Bibles & a newspaper clipping inside. How cool is it to have something that your great-grandmother had?

The newspaper clipping is from August 11, 1945.

Must have been such a relief for so many Americans as that was the day World War II ended. I was so excited to find this newspaper clipping in my great-grandmother’s purse. & I can see her using this purse dressed in her classy outfit for Sunday service as the purse contained two of her small Bibles. I often wonder what she was doing when she was reading this article with such wonderful news. Was she drinking her morning coffee? A war ends is such a momentous occasion, which I’m sure is the reason she saved the newspaper clipping. What a treasure to have today!

This was a surprise!

As I was flipping through the small bible, I came across a little photo that was the size of a stamp. As I am looking at the tiny photo wondering who it was, I see the name Gloria on it. It dawned on me that I have a third cousin named Gloria. I took a photo of it & I messaged her asking if this was her. By golly, it was her! She told me she has tons of these stamp-sized images of her in a suitcase in her basement. I was elated! She spent a lot of time with my grandparents & great-grandparents during the summer months. I love when she would message me & my sister stories from when she spent time with our grandmother. I will keep the photo of Gloria just where I found it, in the bible. This was truly an amazing surprise!

I am always intrigued by my family history & the stories behind them. Especially those of my own clan. What is even more special, is having treasures that have been passed down for generations. These are the stories that I will pass down to my own children and my grandchildren.

Do you have any family heirlooms that have a story behind them? I would love to hear about it in the comments.

Xo,

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