Family Heirlooms

Four generations - Jill, Brooke, me and my mom, Janis

Life moves quickly. With Snapchat photos that disappear just after they are clicked open and life summed up in 140 characters per Tweet, permanence can be elusive. We are never far from our phones, scrolling to make sure we don't miss the latest post from our "friends" - some of whom we've never even met in person.

When the washing machine breaks and it's cheaper to replace it than buy new parts, we bemoan the "planned obsolescence" of "things."

So maybe it's even more important to celebrate the things that last. Relationships top that list, of course. And sometimes, a few mementos survive the journey, too.

For Brooke's 2nd birthday, I passed along a wooden doll cradle. It first belonged to my Mom, who got the gift from her parents when she was about 5 years old. Her little sister, Merlene, got a similar cradle.

Little Janis Neelly's cradle featured a blue "J" at the base. So when Jill was little, my mom passed it on to her. Now, it belongs to Brooke. Though her given name doesn't start with a "J," her middle name is Jaylin, so the "J" cradle passed to her.

We also gave Brooke a Raggedy Ann that had been crafted by Randy's mom, Marie. I don't expect a 2-year-old to understand the significance of these family heirlooms.

For me, however, there's deep significance in passing along a 75-year-old doll cradle or sharing a doll made by another great grandmother who would have loved this next generation of little girls.

For right now, it's enough that Brooke will put her "babies" to bed in the same cradle that rocked her Great Grandma Janis' dollies. (In the photo above, she's covering up a baby with a blanket made by her Grandma Christy ... more family connections!)

Doll buggy and accessories from G/G Ladd!

Brooke loves her babies.  She's more interested in doll babies than Kinley ever has been. But when there's a real baby around, she'll gladly "take care" of her, too.

Cousin Ruth got plenty of love from Brooke and Grandma Christy.

Need a diaper change? The 2 year old is on it! We'll have this girl babysitting in no time! (Of course, there is that baby dolly that was abandoned in the background of this photo. Maybe we'll hold off on the babysitting gig!)

All the dolly gear may seem stereotypical. But we also got her some farm animals and a farm play mat. This girl can be a Mommy and a farmer.

Or maybe she'll be a firefighter, courtesy of Uncle Brent.

She'll keep in shape by pedaling her trike and her head will be protected in her new bike helmet from Great Grandma and Grandpa Moore.

It's a blessing to get together to celebrate birthdays.

With sisters ...

 And parents ...

 And even more generations.

Thankfully, those are the things that last.

Hanging On

In my head, I know I should throw this spoon rest away. In my heart, I'm still clinging to it.

The spoon rest has no monetary value whatsoever. But it came from my Grandma Neelly's kitchen.

If you ever watch any of those TLC or HGTV organization shows, the experts are always telling people they shouldn't attach "memories" to "things."

And while it's true I'll have wonderful memories of my time in Grandma Neelly's kitchen without this spoon rest, it served as a daily reminder, something that said "Grandma" to me at a glance.

She didn't even use it as a spoon rest. It hung on a nail at her kitchen window. After my grandparents died, we had a chance to browse through the kitchen cabinets and dresser drawers for mementos. This is something I chose because it was cornflower blue, my favorite color since I was a little girl and the color I chose for my grownup kitchen. Plus, it was something she liked well enough to have in her window while she washed dishes and tidied the kitchen after yet another meal.

This grandmother wasn't known for her expensive taste. When she chose a memento to bring home to the grandkids from a trip, it was usually something like a plastic snow globe with Pioneer Village emblazoned on it or a plastic coin purse from the Royal Gorge.

I have no idea where she got the spoon rest, and I have no illusions it would have been Antique Roadshow material, even before the mishap yesterday morning.

I had already glued it together once. But I'm afraid yesterday morning's escapade is going to force me to finally throw it away. I was hurrying around trying to get bread dough made for a 4-H cooking project meeting at the church. I had several bowls of rising dough on my cooktop, along with a Crock Pot filled with a roast beef dinner for later.

Somehow with all my shifting around on the cooktop, I inadvertently turned on a burner. By the time I noticed the burning smell, the damage was done.

I have other spoon rests on my kitchen countertop, and they don't have the same sentimental value. Why couldn't it have been one of those?

In my head, I understand where the experts are coming from. I don't need a spoon rest to remind me of my Grandma's homemade angel food cakes, scrumptious chicken and noodles or green apple pies. I will remember the nights watching the Wonderful World of Disney and getting to eat chicken pot pies on TV trays. I will remember popcorn popped on the stovetop and served in brightly-colored metal bowls. I will remember family dinners around the big dining room table. I will remember gathering eggs with Grandpa and peering at new baby chicks warmed under a light in the chicken house. I will remember the thrill of having coffee liberally laced with milk in the mornings after an overnight stay and feeling so grown-up.

If I really was serious about preserving memories, I would have snatched up the tacky black and silver candy dish on their counter. Without fail, we grandkids would rush in the backdoor and raise the lid of the candy dish to see what treat was hidden inside.

So, I know I don't need this little memento. But forgive me if I am a little sad about it.

Still, I have another glimpse of Grandma's house. This little kitty playing the piano also sat in her kitchen window.

I collect pianos, so it was one of the first things I chose from their house.

Again, I'm sure it has no monetary value. Still, I think I'll keep it far, far away from my cooktop. It can stay on a living room shelf, carefully away from harm.