Heirlooms

As a traditional and very nostalgic person, heirlooms are particularly precious to me. Special events like baptisms, significant birthdays, and weddings seem to bring out these family items that are designated for that particular person for that specific event in time.

Douglass Charles' baptism did not go without the same nostalgic signifigance. He was given a new heirloom and a very old one.

The new was crafted by me. We had an heirloom baptismal gown that he could have worn, but we had to wait to baptize him because we were not yet members of our church. So... I decided to make him this long jon. I smocked the top piece with one of Ellen McCarn's patterns. They are very small, but across the bottom there are small crosses smocked into the piece. I was pleased with the result and he looked quite handsome.

The second, and older heirloom, was a pocket watch given by Doug's grandfather. We were fortunate to have them present at the baptism and Douglass Charles is not only the name sake of his father, but of his great-grandfather as well. "Charles" is a family name that has been passed down through four generations now. The pocket watch began with Doug's great-grandfather who bore the name "Charles." Poppy (also a Charles), Doug's grandfather gave it to Doug with the intention of Doug passing it on to Douglass Charles. We just hope he will choose to use the name if and when he has his own son.

These items touch my heart and I hope they will one day touch the heart of my children and their children. The beautiful thing about heirlooms is they serve as symbols of a family's heritage - I pray ours is one worth remembering!