MAMAW’S TREASURES
It
started many years ago when all of the grandchildren were under the age of
eight. All the adults were so busy
laughing and visiting that noone noticed the children
were restless. Mamaw
spied the children in her living room so she went to check on them. In a calm whisper she said “if you’ll sit quietly I’ll share my
secret treasures with you”.
“Treasures?
What treasures?” asked five year old Katie.
“Why
all the beautiful photographs I have” Mamaw said so proudly.
“You
mean the old photos? Why do you call
them treasures Mamaw?” Nicki asked.
Mamaw walked over to the old wooden mantle
and picked up a silver frame with an old black and white photo inside. She turned the frame around so all the
children could see it. “The man in this
photo is my father. Many years ago he
built this house. I was born in this
house, so were my brothers and sisters.
When I was old enough to marry he then sold the
house to Papaw and me. We all lived here
and worked on the farm together” she told them.
She continued, “it wasn’t long before my own
children started to be born in this house.
That’s right, some of your parents”.
Freckled
faced Andy jumped to his feet and shouted, “you mean
my daddy used to be a little baby?”
“That’s
right, he was once a small baby” laughed Mamaw.
She
picked up another frame and showed it to the children. “This is a group of boys and girls
celebrating their First Communion. First
Communion is a special time in your life when you stand up in church and
demonstrate your love for our faith. I’m
on the second row, the third girl from the left. I’m looking forward to seeing you celebrate
your First Communion,” she said.
While
sitting cross-legged Nicki asked, “Mamaw can you show us which is your most favorite of all?”
Mamaw replied softly, “my
dear sweet Nicki, my most favorite photo is the one
I’m holding in my hand when I look at it”.
“How
can that be?” inquired
Katie. “You have to like one more than
all the others.”
Mamaw walked over to her rocking chair and
sat down. Clutching another frame to her
chest she said, “each photograph holds a special
memory. When I look at it I am reminded
of people and places from long ago”. She
turned the silver frame around so they could see the photo.
“Hey,
that’s my family. That’s my mom, dad and
me,” exclaimed
Andy.
“You’re
right again” relied Mamaw as
she slid the back off the frame. Between
the back of the frame and the photo showing were other photos. With a gentle hand she turned over a photo of
fur small children sitting on a couch.
As she named the children in the photo you could hear the grandchildren
call out “That’s my Mom!” or “That’s my Dad!”
The
next photo was of a young soldier.
With
a puzzled look on her face Nicki asked, “Mamaw, who is that?”
“That’s
my oldest brother. He was in World War
II. Just look how handsome he was with
that smile. He once traveled to a
beautiful island far away from here but it wasn’t for a vacation” she said.
As
she placed all the photos back into the frame Katie jumped to her feet and
asked, “how come you are covering them back up?
Mamaw sighed, “my
family has grown so big that I can’t display every photo. When I want to remember a loved one or
something special I take down a frame and look through it. These photographs are people I love. They are people I love in places I’ve never
been. They are people I love celebrating
special events that have long passed in my life”.
“I
get it,” said Katie with a smile. “These
photos are like getting a visit from someone or going on a trip”.
“That’s
exactly right” Mamaw replied while holding back her
tears.
A
simple quiet tradition was born that day.
A special time where the grandchildren sat on the living room floor and Mamaw shared her photographs. While she opened her frames and heart to the
grandchildren with each visit she linked the past to the present with humor,
grace and most of all love.
By: Karen Lamkin