Family Keepsakes: What have YOU kept?

Subject: RE: Family Keepsakes: What have YOU kept?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 10:36 AM

Thanks for the song, Wolfgang... Glad to see you. And Janie, if you read this.. I printed out the first 100 responses to this thread. Now I have to go buy another ink cartridge. But, I'm glad that I did it. At some point soon, it looks like this thread will be getting unwieldy and I probably should start a part II. I'll post a short thread, asking how to do that. If other people are like me, I find it too daunting going back and reading all the messages on Part I long threads, so I think that I may just re-post some of the messsages I thought werre most memorable on this thread on to a new one. As for editing and publishing this, I suspect that would be a headache of major proportions. Might have to get a release from everyone who posted. But, I wanted a paper copy of all the postings so far, and am glad to have it. I know that I'll enjoy going back to read it.

What this needs is Studs Turkle. Or, as Art calls him, Studs Turtle.

Thank you, everyone who has contributed to this thread SO FAR. And thank you to all who will continue to contribute.

I've got some other ideas, too.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Family Keepsakes: What have YOU kept?
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 12:16 PM

Jerry, I loved your song from the 1st time I heard you sing it! I have 2 things from my mom's folks in Missouri that are precious to me. The 1st is the square cast-iron skillet that Grandpa & Grandma used each morning to cook their bacon & eggs. The skillet was divided in half--1 side for bacon & the other side in half again to hold 2 square fried eggs. As a child, I just loved that concept of square fried eggs! I don't tend to use the skillet (low-fat diet & all), but I keep it where I can see it & be reminded.

The second things is Grandma's serving dishes. Some are just inexpensive china & some are cut glass. Any time we ate there, Grandma served 2 or 3 vegetables in those dishes. Now, I've realized it was probably because vegetables were cheaper than some other foods. At home, we usually just had 1 veggie at a time, so it seemed quite special to me. I always use Grandma's dishes for our holiday meals. I remember happy family times & recount them to my kids.

The most important things I have from my folks are their values & their faith. Those are deep within me--more precious than any material goods--& are things I can share & pass on.

Thanks, Jerry!

best,

bbc

Subject: RE: Family Keepsakes: What have YOU kept?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 12:58 PM

Hi, bbc: Wow, a message from the British Broadcasting Company! Part of the problem of monikers is that I'm never quite sure who I'm talking to..

I have a square cast iron skillet (but without a divider,) that I picked up many years ago for a couple of bucks at a tag sale, and it's my favorite frying pan. Your message brought back memories of my grandparents on my Father's side... which is what is so great about this thread. My Grandfather was a tinsmith in Denmark and I've been told, worked on some great cathedrals there. I assume that the cathedrals weren't tin, but I'm sure there was tin working to be done on them. He quickly rose to being foreman of the shop. He came over to this country in his late teens or early twenties, and met my Grandmother in the choir of a church in a Danish community in Wisconsin. My Grandmother came over as a maid, working for the Diamond family, who started Diamond match. At that time, it was the major match company and the family was extremely wealthy. I wrote a song about my grandparents and the chorus echoes what you've said about your greatest inheritances being your faith and values.

"Grandpa was a tinsmith, the foreman of the shop
Grandma worked for Diamonds, she started at the top
And even though the dreams they had, never quite came true
They passed them on to Daddy, and to me when he was through"

Jerry

Subject: RE: Family Keepsakes: What have YOU kept?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 01:51 PM

Click for Part 2.