2024 52 Card Project: Week 14: Heirlooms

[pegkerr]

My mother has been taking steps to simplify her life by going through her possessions, and at her suggestion, my sisters, my brother and I gathered at her apartment to go through many of the family treasures that have accumulated through the years to decide what to do with them.

We laid the groundwork with careful conversations, with everyone bending over to be as fair as possible, and we were all very pleased that the process went so smoothly and everyone was entirely satisfied. My great-grandparents, my grandparents, and my parents all enjoyed entertaining and had many lovely things. Rather to my astonishment (and my gratitude), my siblings were all amenable to my taking the lion's share of Mom and Dad's silver flatware and china, which I've admired for years. I also got a set of heavy glassware (water glasses and glass plates) that we always referred to as the "thumbprint glassware."



Here is a glass trivet that belonged to my great-grandmother, Florence Rice Charles:



I look forward to putting these lovely things to good use in the future. I'm particularly pleased because I've always had a strong interest in family history.

I created the background of this collage by tiling images of doilies and linen cocktail napkins I inherited from my grandmothers, adding a tint wash.

Edited to add: the link to Zoe Mumford’s gorgeous song ‘Elegy, which is all about treasuring lovely things handed down within the family.

Background: doilies and square linen cocktail napkins, in a tiled pattern, with a gold tint. Upper part: a place setting of Lenox Golden Wreath china. Center left: a sterling silver dish. Center right: a heavy glass goblet. Lower left: three silver serving pieces. Lower right: a place setting of silver flatware.

Heirlooms



Click on the links to see the 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.

Comments

[redbird]

It's nice to hear of other families where people encourage each other to take things that they've always liked and/or are more likely to use.

[ndrosen]

You do have some pretty heirlooms. After my mother died, my siblings and I amicably divided our parents’ books, tapes, CDs, and some other items. My sister got Mother’s jewelry; I remember asking for one item to give to the woman I was dating, in case things worked out, but then she broke up with me, so my sister inherited all of the jewelry.

[queenbookwench]

I'm so glad this was a meaningful and joyous time for your family, and you have some heirlooms that you will use and love!