The Hope Chest

I laughed when I heard the words "cedar chest" from my 10 year old daughter as she told me that's what she wanted for her 11th birthday. She is a kid after my own heart, oldfashioned to the core. We love antiques and special things from special people and that's what was stored in my Grandma's Cedar Chest. The aroma of aged cedar, cotton and old paper was strangely comforting. I knew when I smelled it I was going to be lucky enough to snoop through all the treasures and trinkets that had been tucked away for safe keeping. The first thing I went to was always the same. A gold plated brush, mirror and comb set. It was still in the original gold and white striped, satin lined box it came in. I felt rich when I held it and I knew it must be special because Grandma would never let me brush my hair with it.

Some people call them a "hope chest", I guess because a century ago, a woman's treauseau was the only thing she brought to the marriage beside's high hopes and elbow grease. The only chest I hoped for was for one that would require more than a training bra to keep in line. I was hopefull alright, obsessed was more like it. I remember walking in on Grandma getting out of the tub and telling her "I want big boosies like Mama, not little ones like you" at the ripe old age of 5. All I can say is be careful what you wish for!!!

My Grandma bought me my cedar chest when I was still a little girl. She moved it into her room and it was right next to hers at the foot of her bed. I remember watching her do embroidery on pillow cases with kittens and sunbonnet sue just like I had asked for and when she finished she would let me fold them up neatly and tuck them away. As a child you don't exactly have lots of worthwhile treasures to stash so part of my beginning collection was of the goofy serving aprons given if you served refreshments for someone's wedding reception. By the time I married, Grandma had kitchen and bath towels, dishes, glasses and all kinds of bedding to include a beautiful burgandy satin comforter that she had hand quilted.

I didn't even need wedding presents with all she had stored for me. Grandma left me love notes with all the special things she put in that I didn't know about. The tiny ribbed t-shirt her son Max wore before he passed away at just 8 years old. His little leather work gloves and harmonica. I knew it was hard for her to part with the few posessions she had of his so it meant just that much more to me and I still have them.

After I got married, we moved alot. The cedar chest became the place we stored important papers and other things so they wouldn't get lost. I saved my children's blessing outfits, their favorite blankie's when they had hugged them until they were falling apart. My oldest daughter got her cedar chest for Christmas one year so then when my 2nd daughter was old enough, I gave her my cedar chest. When Grandma died, I carefully moved her cedar chest into my home and put it at the foot of my own bed. I put her favorite apron in, cooking stains and all because it still smelled like her and I couldn't bring myself to wash that out. I also went thru her kitchen utinsel drawer and found the spatula and meat fork that Grandpa had hand made for her, carving the handles out of long narrow blocks of wood. I stashed my favorite cereal bowl, my 1st toy and the Book Of Rememberance that had all the family history Grandma worked so hard to discover. I also have her reading glasses. They remind me of all the hundreds of hours she wore them while making things for other people and never anything for herself.

I wondered when I began my search if I would even be able to find a cedar chest anywhere since it's not exactly still a tradition. A coule of years ago I ended up storing a cedar chest for a friend who didn't have room for it in her apartment. A coupld of months ago she called to say she was picking it up so her daughter could sell it at a yard sale to make money to help with their upcoming adoption. I jumped at the chance to buy it from her and pay her the money so she could help her daughter. So Lexie not only has a cedar chest of her own, but it is from a special friend and already has important meaning to her. I went thru my own cedar chest and took out things I wanted to share with her. Her first baby dress, her baby quilt I made her that she called "stars blank". We made her put it away a year ago since it was falling apart from years of serious snuggling. Now it has it's final home in her own safe place. In doing this, I found so much joy in passing things on, that I finally understood what it was like for Grandma to give me her beloved Max's things. Like Grandma I know someday my story will end but my daughter's will continue on. So just like her older sisters, we all are proud cedar chest owners. We may be a bit old fashioned but we know that it isn't the stuff that makes us happy, it's sharing love and memories with our family. I hung Grandma's apron on my sewing room door and as I sew new aprons for my grown children, it's like Grandma is standing in the corner watching over me. We live a truly beautiful life here on the farm. It does my heart good knowing that Lexie has had a wonderful opportunity to spend the last 5 years here and become an old fashioned farm girl too.