My brother gave me something today that is of great sentimental value to both of us... Before I was born, my grandfather had constructed a large solid set of items for my mother to use for my elder siblings clothes or toys. He took some wood from old boxes that were once used to transport vegetables to market and he built three large boxes out of them and attached wheels from some of his old workshop chairs. Then he took similar wood that had once been part of his parents roadside vegetable stand. and made a table to house the three boxes, which could be rolled under the table. He put a cartoon image on the front of each.... two oriented towards girls for my sisters and one for my brother. That toy chest had been a part of my life until my brother took it from my parents house to use for his son. It is over 50 years old, survived the flood of Hurricane Agnes in 1972, has been beaten up by our reckless behaviors of our youth. Two of the images are worn, the varnish and some of the surface is somewhat distressed, but the wood is strong and the construction is intact. Granted, I am prone to nostalgic feelings when it comes to things like this... but I really am struck by the fact that this is wood that was part of my great-grandparents livelihood and that my grandfather built it out of love for my mother and my siblings. That was the kind of man he was. Also, his mother was a powerful Braucherin, and the table was built from wood upon which she worked. It would not be a big leap at all to conclude that she had blessed the table as part of her work. She passed some Braucherei knowledge onto my grandfather, and she and her husband both provided my grandfather with a tremendous work ethic and a sense of duty and diligence that still defines much of my mothers family. I am very touched that my brother gave this to me. I know it is difficult for him to part with it, but he knows that I will take care of it... I am considering fixing it up, but I am not sure I want to tamper with the energies that come off of it. My grandfather wasted nothing and did clever things with anything that was not functioning properly. For example, he build a mechanical rocking horse for my cousin from an old wringer machine that was not working right. That thing still works almost 60 years later. To some it may appear to be simply a toy box set, but to me, this is representative of so many cultural, spiritual, and emotional connections to the past and to my ancestors. Thank you for indulging me.... The toy box set is still in my truck, but I may go take a pic or two... or take them later. Hail to my grandfather, Chester Eckhart, and to his parents, Alice Miller Eckhart, and Stewart Eckhart!
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 02:54:37 +0000
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