A quick post today to share just a little more of my family. Yesterday we all got together at my Mother's in Pennsylvania and had a very nice time. My mother will be 80 on January 27th and she was thrilled to be able to host an "open house" type get together for friends & family.
She is very proud of her 4 children (Linda, Darlene, Charlotte & John), 3 grandchildren (Carolyn, Candi & Danny) & 5 great-grandchildren (Morgan, Taylor, Hunter, Cody & Jonathan). Beginning last Christmas, mom decided to start giving her grandchildren & great-grandchildren family heirlooms for Christmas instead of "junk" (as she calls it)! Things like my father's (their great grandfather) pocket watches to her great grandsons ... and some of my grandmother's (their great-great-grandmother) jewelry to her great-granddaughters.
This Christmas, Mother added a little twist and decided to give the "boys" a little something to help keep them occupied. She had 2 antique tins filled with pennies ... so in their stocking besides the money card, there were penny wrappers, indicating they were to wrap the pennies from the tins and it was theirs to keep. This did keep the boys "quiet" for awhile since they decided to make a "contest" out of it!! You know boys ... always a competition!!! (Good idea Grandma Great!)
The great grand-daughters were thrilled with the bracelets they received from Grandma-Great and of course the money cards (as indicted by the big smiles ... LOL). Teenagers can always use extra cash you know!! 
This year, she did much the same but has decided to start passing these items on to each of us. She feels there is no sense in waiting until she dies and we fight over who gets what (like that would ever happen)! This way she can choose who gets what!! Here, her grand-daughter's each received watch necklaces & a broach that were Mother's. (Missing from photo: Grandson Danny, who has Cerebral Palsy and has been in a home since a young age.)
Lastly, mom gave her children some of her prize possessions. Each of us girls received these beautiful rose glass dishes which had been gifts to mom from long ago and inside each dish was a piece of jewelry that was not only "old" but had significant meaning to our mother! My brother John received articles that had belonged to our father (who has been gone for 20 years). Well, I'm sure you have seen & heard enough about my family by now so I will end here and just say thank you for stopping by and letting me share my blessings with you! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!
Darlene, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family. As you saw, we had a horrible storm and time dealing with it. But God Blessed us to be together on Christmas! There is nothing like the love of God and our family is there? Big hugs to you my friend. Your family is beautiful and you are Blessed!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Kim xXx
What a wonderful thing for your mother to do, Darlene! How great for you all to be able to get together with her to do this--what a blessing!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you all had a wonderful time and enjoyed just being together! Glad you're continuing your Christmas celebrations past the 25th--how fun!
Thanks for sharing more about your family--such a lovely thing we can do with these blogs! Much love to you, my friend!
Darlene,
ReplyDeleteYou are truly blessed with a loving family. I love the idea of sharing family items while people are alive. You can then hear the stories that went along with their purchase or how your loved one acquired them. I feel blessed you've shared your family with me.
Blessings,
Sue
Darlene so glad you enjoyed your time with your family!!!! I am sooo happy you had a wonderful Christmas!!! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful time was had by all! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing a bit of yourself Dar, beautiful photos!!!
blessings, Maria
What a wonderful idea! I know you think your family would never fight over a loved one's possessions, but you'd be surprised...I know, I've been through it about 3 times now. Even the best families fight over a deceased loved ones possessions. I've learned it has nothing to do with greed, but it is more of an emotional issue. My sister-in-law for example, was so emotionally upset that my brother-in-law got grandma's bible for example...it was worth nothing, and was so worn it was unusable, but it had so much emotional meaning to her and she felt she should have received it since she was the eldest, but it was given to her brother because he was a pastor....stuff like that causes HUGE problems.
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