November 28th

Almost done with the daily postings for NAtional BLog POsting MOnth. Today's prompt, to get the creative juices flowing, is "Describe an heirloom that has been passed down through generations of your family. What is its significance to you personally?" And right away I thought of the farm. Grandad's parents built the house in 1905, in Braxton County West Virginia. When Grandad sold it, in 1969, it was a great shock to all the family. We still don't know the reason why he did it; speculation is that the buyers knew something about him or his business dealings, and coerced him into the sale. At the time, one of his daughters was living at the farm with her husband, who was working like crazy to do upkeep on a farm that had been let go too long with little maintenance. His son-in-law's understanding was that the farm would be left to them. All the contents of the farmhouse and barns was put up at an auction, and sold for pennies on the dollar. They sold Grandma's wood rocker for $25. Grandad and Grandma bought a little old house close to town; Grandad died at the house in 1971, and Grandma went to live with my aunt in Florida.

But the heirloom, what about the heirloom? It was a pendant, a very plain silver pendant in a circle the size of a wedding ring, with a tiny blue stone in the center. I have no idea if it was valuable, but I expect not, given the family means. It now belongs to my uncle, the last of the original family, and will be passed down to his son, I think. To me, it represents a link, an unbroken circle, that connects generation to generation. The story is that it was my grandma's mother's pendant; she died when Grandma was a child, and her father remarried a very strict woman. Grandma's only physical link was through this small pendant, and I know she treasured it. I look now at all the possessions we have now, and I know no single one will ever stand out for my children. But gold and diamonds not withstanding, all of it is worth less that that plain silver pendant.
Note: it was a pendant, not a pin; I stand corrected.
Thought for the day: "Back up my hard drive? How do I put it in reverse?"