Question of the Day: Thurs. June 4, 2009

Morning folks..... today's QOTD is: about you

Name something in your home that means alot to you, that if you move it would always come with you, that is irreplacable.... something you value quite highly.

(not meaning pets, humans, etc. I'm talking an inanimate object) If the question doesn't make sense, read my answers and then it will Oh and I promise, next QOTD from me will be a "light" one

I have 3 things:

1. a box of journals which is under my bed. Those are my memories, my life in my words. I could never part with them.

2 and 3 are tied together: A quilt. It was a gift for our wedding and everyone signed these pieces of fabric that were sewn onto our quilt. As well as our bottle of sand. We did not do unity candles... We had a sand ceremony. The four of us had a different colour of sand, and each took turns pouring it into this bottle. Grains of sand when mixed together, cannot be seperated....as is our family... we are all tied in together. (my husband is the father of one of my children, not both)

These 3 things mean the world to me Nothing could ever replace any of them if they were lost/stolen/damaged/etc.

I have two journals which I keep in my little bedside cabinet....one of them is full now from the last year or so.

I have written about all the days which have meant something to me, and I look back through them now and again to bring back the memories.

Originally Posted by DeeDeeMay

I have written about all the days which have meant something to me, and I look back through them now and again to bring back the memories.

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Exactly I still write from time to time, but nowhere near as regular as I used to..

I have a tin-type (sp?) of my Great-Great-Great Grandparents in their wedding attire. They were married and 3 days later they sailed from Scotland to Canada to start a new life. It is a family heirloom and the reason I have it is because I am the youngest of my generation of the family. When I pass it on it will go to my cousin Shannon who is the youngest in the next generation.

Tons of old family photographs. Those are priceless, IMHO.

I have an antique kitchen clock that dates back to the mid 1800's. My great grandmother brought it when they immigrated from Budapest, Hungary. It has been given to the oldest daughter of each generation. I have no idea who to give it to when I'm ready to pass it on. My sister and I have no children. My mom's sister had two daughters, but between the two of them, there are three boys and only one girl (Lauren.) They live in Alaska, and I've never even met her. I'm not sure if she even knows about the clock, but I guess she would be the most likely recipient.




You can't see in this picture, because Lola is blocking it....there is a beautiful gold leaf/feather design on the glass door, and ornate brass pendulum.

aaaawwww Chris!...this a real great question!..

My Good neess too many stuffs are irreplacable...
1.- some photos in black & white playing with our cat....
2.- a old watch of my father, and still working...
3.- My firts ornament of cats made of old ceramic by my grandpa...
4.- The firts letter of my girlfriend (is now my wife)...

awww what a memmories...

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

I have an antique kitchen clock that dates back to the mid 1800's. My great grandmother brought it when they immigrated from Budapest, Hungary. It has been given to the oldest daughter of each generation. I have no idea who to give it to when I'm ready to pass it on. My sister and I have no children. My mom's sister had two daughters, but between the two of them, there are three boys and only one girl (Lauren.) They live in Alaska, and I've never even met her. I'm not sure if she even knows about the clock, but I guess she would be the most likely recipient.

You can't see in this picture, because Lola is blocking it....there is a beautiful gold leaf/feather design on the glass door, and ornate brass pendulum.

Click to expand...

WHat a marvellous clock my friend! is great!

pictures of course.I would say my grandmothers silverware. Dh would say his grandfather's war medals, from both 1st and 2nd world war.

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

You can't see in this picture, because Lola is blocking it....there is a beautiful gold leaf/feather design on the glass door, and ornate brass pendulum.

Click to expand...

Beautiful clock.... I love the markings on it.

I guess it would have to be a card that my Grandma gave to me, I can't remember what occasion it was for and signed "your best friend" for my Grandma was truly my best friend and she died waaaay to young, she was only 58, and I was only 12, but I still think of her almost everyday. In fact, she passed away in early June so it's been 19 years now That card and a couple music boxes that she gave to me will go everywhere with me

4 things....

My Polish grandmother's candlestick (each one has 3 spots for tapers....kind of like a little candelabra (sp?) )holders she gave me. They were passed down in her family from generation to generation. She is the only family member that made it out of Poland before the Holocaust happened (the rest were killed) so those candlestick holders are priceless to me.

My Russian grandad's pocket watch. (he was my grandma's husband...funny considering she was polish and he was russian!). He was the best man I've ever know- I was really close to him growing up and he used to always let me run around and play with his pocketwatch. It means the world to me that I still have it now that he's passed on. (It still works too!)

My other grandad's orange dinner bell. It's an antique- he used to always ring it at supper time when we'd go over for dinner there, and when he got cancer, he'd ring the bell if he needed something (or just wanted us to hang out with him!) It's the only thing I have of his, so it's special to me as well.

The spoon rest my nephew Cooper and I painted together on his 8th birthday. It's priceless to me I keep it on my kitchen stove and it always makes me smile when I look at it!

Many family photos.

Also, in the last years of his life, my Dad took up longstitch (with the assistance of a very wonderful woman at the care facility where he was living by then). It was a sort of renaissance for him. Over a couple of years, I guess, he did close to a dozen pieces, some of them very lovely. His kids and grandkids and a couple of other "special" people have at least one each. I have the first one he did, and the last, which was a reproduction of Tom Thomson's Jack Pine. It responded very well to the medium. Many people have coveted it, and it is very special to me.

I think there are probably one or two other things that should be on this list, but whenever I start to do this thinking, I get stuck on the Jack Pine, and what that activity meant to Dad.

There's a painting of Pat and I on our wedding day that my mother had done for us that means the world to me. I also have a set of china that my father's uncle bought for my great-grandmother when he was in Germany during WWI. The china made it back, but my great uncle didn't.

Family heirlooms, no doubt about it.
We don't have much from DH's side----mainly pictures.
I have an odd assortment of items from my side; I'm the family genealogist and I think everyone assumes I should be the one to safeguard the items.
Old phots and tin types, my great grandfather's cufflinks, my great grandmother's mourning pendant that contains a small lock of red hair (she lost 2 children as babies and I don't know whose hair this is), my grandmother's wedding band, bracelet, and cameo, the spent shells from the 21 gun salute at my Dad's funeral, a small plastic daffodil from my grandma's coffin spray, a doll that my great aunt received for Christmas in 1909----I could go on and on, I suppose. I don't think I could ever give up any of these.

I have already been faced with losing everything I owned 7 years ago. If ever something happened again, the only other things besides Maia would be my identification, and my computer. Replacing your id is no joke!

I guess photo albums...

Grandma's Sewing machine, and oriental chest that my great-uncle bought during WWII and my teddy bear, sounds silly, but it's 40 years old (eek!) and if it could talk....oh my!!!

Oh Chris - this is a big one... and now I know people here will think once and for all that I am crazy

There are two things there are the most important things for me:
1- My best friend's memorial (see below)


Chris was the most amazing, the best human being I have ever been so honored to meet and love. He lived his life to make people around him happy... Anybody, anybody at all who crossed his path, if for 5 seconds, or for many years... He would do anything everything to make them happy. If there was ever an angel in this earth, it was Chris.
Chris died last year, at 57 years young, and each one of us best friends were left with some piece (me quite literally) of him. So, on this memorial you will see:
Chris on the stick: after the funeral we all gathered in his favorite bar to celebrate his life, and each of us were given a Chris' face on a stick, so no matter where we looked, he was all around us. There were dozens of Chris around us that day - we drank his favorite beer, played his favorite music... I am sure he was there with us.
The shirt was his favorite shirt - since I met him soon after I came to America, that shirt has been with us across town many many times, and if it could talk...
The flag: One of the most important things to Chris was when me, and 2 of our great friends became American Citizens... When I passed the test to become a citizen, he was in the hospital, and after I left the Immigration I called, and our friend put the phone close to his ear - he was all hooked up on life support machines, but he smiled when I told him I would become a citizen, and I dedicated that day to him. This is the flag from my ceremony.
The pin: There is a pin on his shirt collar - Chris went to Vietnam as a conscientious objector, and while there, he became a war doctor on the front runs, where he created a substance abuse program. Upon his return, he dedicated his life to the rehabilitation of homeless war veterans from Vietnam who were addicted to drugs, or had psychological "damage". He is one of the founders of "New Directions, Inc", in Los Angeles - an amazing place where these forgotten heroes are given a new life, with the respect and honor that they never knew they deserved. New Directions was Chris's life, and vice-versa. Today a new building has been inaugurated and named in his honor, Chri's Place
The plaque: In 2004 Chris had a heart problem, and me and a couple of friends worked really hard to save his life - He gave us a plaque for being a member of the "Save Chris' Life Club". Unfortunately we couldn't do it twice...
The Paper sheets: This is from his service - it tells his life story - he forgave us from crying... of course he was not successful...
The little tin can: This little can reads "Peace" - it took me a long time to find it... He was a big time pacifist, and nothing portrayed him more than the word "peace". I ended up applying an iron-on embroidered piece to the tin can, which worked perfectly...... Inside there is a handful of his ashes - the Ashes also went to the 3 citizenship ceremonies with us.
So.... I hope I didn't disturb anybody by having his ashes with me... Chris is my friend, my angel... It felt right then, it feels right now, and one day I might spread those ashes in an amazingly special place... I just don't know where it is yet; until then he will be with me, who loves him dearly... That is also a special place, right??

Wow -
The second thing is.... My grandmother is 96 years old, and an artist - she paints porcelain. She has painted a complete china set for me, and this one will go with me everywhere... She is another amazing person; I am ever so lucky for having her in my life .