General Chat

Two years ago my husband’s grandmother passed away aged 86. Up until the last 18 months of her life, she lived independently, even drove her own car. Her health eventually declined and she had to go into a nursing home. She relied on her daughter (my mother-in-law) and me to do the shopping and other chores for her and we stored her possessions in the spare room under my mother-in-law’s home. It surprised me that none of her other children came to see her while she was unwell. It wasn’t until her last days that her other daughter finally came to see her. No sign of the son though. He arrived two days after she died with a trailer and cleaned out her belongings. All that was left behind was a few boxes of what he referred to as rubbish. My mother-in-law rang me not so long ago and said that if I’d like to go through the boxes I’d have to be quick. They were going to be dumped as she wanted to renovate the spare room. I took the lot home. You wouldn’t believe what I found in them. Everything from recipes written on the backs of receipts to handmade Christmas cards made back in the early 1920’s. There were many wedding invitations and christening cards. Her journals were there too. She wrote about her everyday life and raising children during the war. Her beautiful Bible was underneath. She’d recorded all the births of her children and had pressed locks of their baby hair between the pages. It makes you wonder how they could refer to these treasures as rubbish. I’m so blessed to have them. Deb:)

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Wow, you are so lucky to have come across something like this!! I could look through stuff like that all day, every day!! We dont seem to have anything like that in our family, but I now have a box put away for 'special' things, which include items from my grandparents (including a few photos)... I just hope that my children and grandchildren appreciate this for what it is in the future and pass it down!! Clare x

Hi Deb, Just been reading your thread and I thought this was so true of what happens today, if something is not worth money then it not worth having. I remember when my mother died, she was in a Old People Home, I was very upset and ended up in hospital and didn't even get to the funeral. My brother arranged everything and all my mums belongings were taken out her room by my brother. When i did get out the hospital all I wanted was my mum and dads wedding picture, I already had a black and white version but my mum had it coloured years later and it was in her room. My brother just said oh I chucked that in the bin, how could he do such a thing I thought, well he got her bank book and thats all he wanted. Betty

Clare, I'm going to do what you've done. I think that's a wonderful idea. I'm so sorry Betty that your mum's wedding photo was thrown out. That's so sad. Deb

Isn't it strange how some people think of this type of thing as rubbish. To me it is pure treasure, there's no way I could bin any of it...yet other people just don't share our interest.

Only yesterday I was at my parents' house, I asked if I could take some of the old family photos to scan and put on my computer. I got the box down and found a scrapbook that Dad had done when he was 11 yrs old. I've never seen it before, so I brought it down and we went through it together.
It was just typical boys stuff really, but it was fascinating to me. There were newspaper cuttings of his cricket and football heroes, football cards, and newspaper cuttings of how WW2 was progressing, plus pictures of fighter planes.
He had started the scrapbook when he was evacuated out of London in 1939, the school had suggested it as a project to keep them occupied after school hours.

Treasure to be treasured.

K

Isn't it wonderful to discover these amazing treasures? Why is it that others don't see the value of them? Deb

Debs,It always amazes me too! You deserve them,Im sure she will be so happy you have them,those sorts of personal treasures deserve to be with someone who knows there value. Roxanne xx