If you'e followed me long enough you know I absolutely LOVE to introduce to you new authors - especially those who are fellow Pelican Book Group or Bayou Writers Group authors!
Today is no exception.
Please welcome Kelly Goshorn as she shares something she treasures with us....
I treasure my family, friends, my pets and my health, who doesn’t? But it all seemed so cliché.
I have many knick knacks and adornments around my home that I dearly love, as well. So I decided to choose one of the many heirlooms I’ve inherited from my grandparents that I cherish. But how would I choose just one? And when it came to writing a blog post about one of them, it all seemed superficial. I
mean how much can one say about a pitcher and basin after all?Then it hit me. What I really treasured about these items wasn’t the object itself, rather what they represented—roots.
According to the dictionary, roots are “the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibers.” Just as well-established roots anchor the plant to the ground, supplying sustenance and helping it to withstand drought and storms, these items that adorn my home, bring me joy not because of their monetary value but because they keep me connected to my family, my heritage.
That old pitcher and basin came from the Criste farm near Loretto, Pennsylvania, deep in the
It’s chipped and cracked and the bowl was dropped once and split into three pieces. My husband super glued it back together for me. It holds artificial flowers most of the year, but when my hydrangeas bloom, it’s the perfect size for the large top-heavy flowers. As I arrange the blooms, I wonder how many generations used this set to freshen up after a long day of farm work. Did any of them dip their razor in the basin, trimming up their whiskers before calling on their girl? Would it please them to know that their great, great, great (you get the picture) grand-daughter put it in a place of prominence in her home for visitors to see?
Then there’s that crazy colorful afghan, my grandmother Criste crocheted. Nearly every one of my 26 first cousins have one just as bright. I can still remember, her stockinged feet propped up on the ottoman, diligently crocheting them as gifts for new babies, graduations and weddings, always with a smile on her face and a song in her heart.
The pink candy dish was also hers. Since money was tight you were more likely to find it on the shelf with matchbooks inside for pappy’s pipe than filled with chocolates, but you could drop in around suppertime any night and grandma would always feed you. One saying of hers I’ll never forget, “there’s always room for one more.”
These treasures and others like them, remind me of who I am and where I came from. The stories told around the supper table. The songs I’m sure no other family knows but ours that were sung loud and proud at family reunions. The laughter, love, and acceptance that graced the dinner table. These treasures remind me of the values our family stands for—hard work, honesty, faith and family.
Roots that are sure to anchor me through whatever droughts and storms come my way.
Your turn: What treasures do you possess that remind you of your family’s roots?
Wow...what wonderful things to treasure, Kelly! Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Kelly's debut novel, A Love Restored is available on Amazon US,
Amazon UK and Barnes & Noble .... but here's a sneak peek....
She was nothing like the woman he’d envisioned for his bride, but he was everything she’d ever dreamed of—until a promise from his past threatened their future.With pert opinions and a less-than-perfect figure, Ruth Ann Sutton doesn’t measure up to society’s vision of a perfect lady. When she accepts a position teaching in a Freedman’s School, it threatens the only marriage offer Ruth Ann is likely to receive. She’s forced to choose between life as a lonely spinster or reinventing herself to secure a respectable proposal.
Determined to rise above his meager beginnings, Benjamin Coulter’s reputation as a fast learner and hard worker earn him the opportunity to apprentice with a surveyor for the railroad—a position that will garner the respect of other men. After a chance encounter with Ruth Ann Sutton, Benjamin is smitten with her pretty face, quick wit, and feisty personality.
When others ridicule his choice, will Benjamin listen to his heart or put ambition first?
Sounds like a great book so check it out!
Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll check back for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.
Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll check back for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT
26 comments:
I have a quilt that my sister made me, that I treasure. And I have an afghan that my husband's grandmother made for us, that I treasure. Both these people are/were very important in our lives and now every time I look at them, I remember them with tenderness and lots of love. Jim's grandmother died several years ago, but my sister lives in Michigan, and I live in Alabama. The book looks like a great read. Congratulations and I hope you have great success.
Kelly, great post. I go antiquing a lot, more than I should, and I love to pause over an item and wonder who handled it. It's not just my "stuff," either. Last year I went to the Boston Tea Party museum, in Boston of course, and they still have ONE OF TEH CHESTS that held the tea they dumped in the harbor. Gives me chills to think about it.
I meant "one of THE chests." I get so excited I can't spell.
Connie, quilts are a great way to connect to the past because you can still use them, if they're in good condition, and hang them on the wall if they're not.
I also treasure those things that I received or inherited from family. They come with special memories.
Hi Kelly. I love your bright afghan. It's so cheerful and packed full of memories. I have a wedding quilt that I cherish from a grandmother.
Love this episode of Tuesday Treasures! I have a diamond ring that belonged to my mother. She had tiny fingers. I hope to have it sized soon and wear it soon. Kelley, your heirlooms are beautiful!
Thanks for sharing, Kelly. Since I retired, I am in the process of paring down, and I have loved going through all the old items passed down to me by relatives. Just as you've said, it's not their monetary value, but the memories they invoke, that are the true treasure.
Thank you for sharing! I have so many things around my house that are special simply because of who they are from. Those are the best knick knacks, in my opinion! I enjoyed reading your post and about your book! Good luck!
Hi Connie, I love how an object or a smell can bring back such vivid memories! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Kaybee, wow that is really cool about the tea chest! When I take my family to historical places and/or museums I dawdle looking at everything.
Barb, that afghan is one of her better ones because it actually follows a color pattern. Some when unfolded will have a few random colors thrown in as if she ran of the color she needed next! LOL! I have one like that. Its bright pink, pink and white almost entirely to the end then there are few rows of bright yellow! LOL! But still made with the same love!
Oh wow, Jody, that would be amazing to have one of my mother or grandmother's rings. What a special treasure!
So true, Jacqueline. They don't need to be fancy or expensive. When my sister passed away, we discovered several items among her belongings that we knew came from my grandparents. Sandy had written Grandma's name, my mom's name and hers on the bottom so future generations would know where it came from and who treasured it. I do that now when possible.
Hi Carol, I bet its hard deciding what to take keep when you downsize. Right now I have a big unfinished basement so I don't have to make too many choices but that day is coming.
Thanks for your kind words, Kara. I also love old pictures. I have many sitting around and more I'd like to display. Sometimes when I'm in antique stores and I see old pics I want to buy them even though I don't know the people! LOL!
Lovely post. Thanks for sharing.
I have a Pendleton wool shirt that I bought for my dad decades ago. When he died 32 years ago, my mom gave it to me. I put it on in chilly weather and it makes me think of him.
My mom collected glass insulators, those colored glass objects that used to top telephone poles. They were what the cable wrapped around from pole to pole and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Being a fan of colored glass, my mom fell in love with one at an old antique store one day. She bought it for next to nothing. Turns out there is a National Insulator Association - a big deal for collectors - of which she was president one year. We were each 9six kids) given a precious cobalt blue glass insulator mounted on a wooden pin and set on a wooden oval base. She had "A treasured shared" engraved on a small brass plate on the base. I think of her each time I see it.
Oh my gosh, what a beautiful post. Such a lovely way to enjoy your treasures. Best wishes on the book...sounds great!
Like you, I have many heirloom treasures. I found 6 handmade quilts in my grandmother's chest after she died that I doled out to each of our children as they married; I kept 3 for myself and I surely treasure the work that went into them. In one I find pieces of feed sacks that Grandma made into clothes for me. One really old quilt sports squares of Confederate gray uniforms!
Lovely post and best wishes.
Hi Marissa, Thank you for visiting.
Hi Alina, What a lovely name! I love that you have one of your dad's shirts. It must feel like he's hugging you when you wear it.
Hi Mary, I'd never heard of glass insulators before so I googled it. Not only are they pretty, but I think I have seen them in antique stores but didn't know what I was looking at. How cool that she got so involved she was the president of the organization.
Thank you for visiting Alicia!
Hi Susan, wow you certainly found a great treasure in the old hope chest. I'd love to see a picture of the quilt made from pieces of confederate uniforms. How cool is that?
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