The Box

That's my Dad in the picture above. He went to Germany during WWII as did his brother, Buford! Where did my Grandmother get that name. Anyway, while many of families had their sons overseas and fighting in the war, the Mom's that were left at home apparently started a little "hankerchief" type club! 

I've had this box since I was 18! While all the soldiers were overseas during WWII the Mom's whose son's were there exchanged hankies and notes. This box holds all the hankies inside. It has moved everywhere with me and I've never put it's contents in a better box. Actually I know where the box came from. My dad's brother use to work for Mother's Cookies and would always bring my Grandmother the stale out of date cookies. It use to make me so mad because the cookies were pretty bad. Anyway, for some reason, I've never put all the hankies in anything else. Not sure why as they deserve something better.

I love the old handwriting, and the time that was put in to sit down and actually handwrite a letter. My Grandma not only saved the hankies, but saved the letters and the postmarks as well.

This is what the "cookie" box looks like when you open it. It's stuffed with old letters, hankies, a few souvenir pillow shams as well. I know this box doesn't have a lot of value as far as money goes, but it tells a lot about my own family history. Why do I like saving things, and antiques? My Grandma was the same way, as was my Dad!

Another letter with the envelope and postmark still attached. Like the hankie above, many of them still have the store sticker attached.

I am in love with the old handwriting. And I think it is so interesting that these women would share what they loved to do like above where the woman wants to save her hankies and make a quilt. 

I'm really grateful that my Grandma kept not only the hankies and letters, but the postmarks as well. It was a great way to not only date her collection but to identify where it came from too.

I look at the post mark on this letter. It was written in 1943 and it looks like it could have been written yesterday except it has much better handwriting than we have today.

More postmarks, more hankies, and more letters from the past! 

I thought this letter was really interesting because it is printed. You just didn't find many old letters that were printed rather than in handwriting. I print all the time but always thought it was because I'm left handed. My box of hankies! I know they deserve a place to display them, but for now, I will keep them all in the old Mothers Cookie box till I decide what I want to do with them. 

Our stuff! My business, my love of "stuff" and many of you as well "really" understand the appeal of some of this stuff we hang on to! That is my Dad above on the left! Until the day he died, he was a smart ass, even in the Alzheimer's unit where he spent the last of his days. I gotta tell you, I admired his smart mouth even then!!