Family History Returns

Okay, I try hard to ‘Swedish Death Clean’, constantly moving stuff from the basement to the trash, donation or family members. 

Despite my best efforts things often find their way back to me. This beautiful cedar hope chest, for one. This belonged to my mom, most likely purchased around 1949. I had moved it from sitting in a closet at my house to being used and loved at my daughter’s home.

Now… Katie is moving and no longer has space for it, so back to my house. I have found a much better place for it this time around. Some items will hopefully remain in the family for generations to come, this hope chest being one of them.

As I organized the items in the chest, I found Katie had a number of quilts handmade by her paternal grandmother. My mom was not much of a homemaker. She worked in a department store as a sales clerk for over 35 years. She didn’t make quilts to fill the chest, but she provided the beautiful chest for storing the quilts made by another grandmother and passed down to her granddaughter. 

It takes all kinds of love and passion to raise a family. I cherish this chest not only for the heirlooms it contains, but for the love it contains from my mom who passed on a legacy of independence, hard work and stubbornness to live life on her own terms.

Extras: older photos, one of Katie and Grandma (my mom), and one of four generations of women in our family.