In
my last post I mentioned that we have a coffee table in our living room that
belonged to my grandparents. After reading my post my aunt – the one who had
sent me all the cards – wrote to say that the table was one given to my grandparents
by their three children and their spouses as a 40th wedding
anniversary present.
All
of them had a party together which included a turkey dinner made by my uncle’s
wife. I don’t know if the visit was a surprise to my grandparents but I am pretty
sure the table was.
It
is an antique today but was brand new to my grandparents in April 1954.
It’s
oval in shape with a glass top. It was a bit awkward in our previous home but
has found a place in our condo. It now holds a large trailing African violet
that blooms constantly. The violet itself was a gift from a friend back in the
1980s and is a special reminder of that lady who has since died. She brought a
very small cutting of her plant – which grew across her kitchen wall – on a
visit from Oklahoma. That small piece developed into the large plant pictured
here. The main plant has also given up many small branches from which other
plants have grown, like the one sitting alongside it. These have been passed
along to other friends over the years.
Both
are special memorabilia in their own ways.
Here
is the card that went with the table, another piece of memorabilia.
I
have many other prized items passed down from previous generations. My wife
does not think all of them are all that decorative but they will be here as
long as I am. I’ll talk about them in later posts.
Wayne Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program in England, handling four
parishes in Devon, England. He has published a
number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is the Editor of Relatively
Speaking, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Genealogical Society.
Wayne also provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.
