A Few of My Favorite Things

My Most Precious Possessions

by Janienne Jennrich, copyright 2009

Most of the items most precious to me are personally attached to someone else.

My grandmother's quilts are so beautiful and so much of her love has gone into each one. My dear great aunt hand crocheted me a dainty but large tablecloth. My mother made me another gorgeous crochet table cover for my smaller round table. My aunt made me a table runner with hearts crocheted into the design so we would remember she loves us. These homemade needle-works are irreplaceable.

I also have a beloved pocket watch from my grandfather, who died before I was born. Paired with it, because his own pocket watch was stolen, is the glass showcase of my other dear grandpa (who I was lucky enough to know well) where the pocket watch hangs. This combination is also special to me. One part from each grandfather makes the whole.

I also have my grandfather's desk and bookcase. Though I might be able to replace these with similar items, they would not have the character I know was put there by my grandpa's use of the items.

These days, so many things can be replaced on eBay. I have found toys of my father's childhood, books my mother owned, even little trinkets we thought were one of a kind. So I know to some degree, things can be replaced.

If I lost all my photographs, I know others in the family would have copies of most. Perhaps my wedding album is the only place many irreplaceable photos reside. That would be a sad loss, of course, just as those in my camera would be.

Also a difficult loss would be artwork done by the little hands of my children, nephew, and nieces. Luckily Grandma has a good collection of those and would share.

I have a silly stuffed cat from my childhood, aptly named "Meow." I would cry if Meow were to go up in flames or be lost to me, but truth be told, he rarely comes out of his storage box.

Some of things most precious to me are precious to the people I love. Would I save my son's favorite stuffed toy or my husband's prized guitar? My daughter loves her hundreds of books, but those can be repurchased.

Recently my father passed away. What would I grab to remember him? I am not sure. I have many small remembrances, but most of them are in my head. In the end, perhaps, loving memories are our most precious gifts.

It is a hard question to answer. What would I take?

I suppose in the end I would grab my grandmother's quilt, and hopefully with it, an almost identical one made by my husband's grandmother.

Both hand sewn quilts were made in the 1930's by these lovely women. In different parts of the United States, they worked on Flower Garden quilts. Amazingly, the quilts even have nearly the same backing fabric. Our grandmothers had no idea these charming quilts would end up together in one home, bonded to a new generation and a marriage lasting (so far) 26 years.

On cold evenings, the quilts would keep me warm, physically and mentally. They are something we could pass to our children and they to theirs.

A quilt is more than just another blanket. A hand-crafted pieced quilt is love.