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Seelix's avatar

What inherited item do you hold most dear?

Asked by Seelix (14952points) February 18th, 2011

I was inspired by this question asking what you’d save if your house were on fire.

Most of us have lost someone that we’ve loved dearly. Have you inherited any items from loved ones who’ve passed on? Which do you hold most dear, and why?

Personally, I have a few. My Nana was an avid reader (as am I) and she kept a journal of all the books she read in the last 30 or so years of her life. Some have little notes next to the titles (“Too sexy!” – Nana was rather Catholic), some are just lists of titles. After she died, my parents made sure I was able to have it.
I also have Nana’s four-poster bed and dresser set. My apartment is too small for it now, but it’s living at my parents’ house for now. I slept in that bed when I was 9 and had chicken pox, and felt like a princess.
I also have a big old heavy brown ceramic bowl, which she used when making perogies. It’s ugly and I don’t ever use it, but it brings back memories and I’d hate to lose it.

What about you? What do you have around the house, and why does it mean so much to you?

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25 Answers

lucillelucillelucille's avatar

My mother’s piano :)

iamthemob's avatar

I hate to sound like I’m cleverly dodging the question – but I can’t help but feel like my answer is really myself.

janbb's avatar

My great-grandmother’s Shabbat candlesticks that she brought over from Russia.

chyna's avatar

My mom passed very recently, so I have yet to go through everything she had, but the letters I found from my dad to her before they were married will be up there as most cherished. And to think I almost didn’t read them.

cookieman's avatar

My father’s dog-tags. I have them on my key ring so they’re always with me as a reminder if him.

He gave them to me years before he died for no particular reason. After his death, my mother kept everything else, so they’re pretty much all I have of him outside of photos.

Cruiser's avatar

My great grandpa’s work “Visa” document that granted him permission to do construction work at the German World Exposition in 1893. He fell in love with Chicago and emigrated here the next year.

Judi's avatar

My mom died in Late December and I’m wearing her mothers ring.
Also my Dads typed poetry some as old as the 1930’s

LuckyGuy's avatar

Tough question. My Dad’s revolver. He carried it on and off for 50 years. It sits in the gun cabinet never to be fired again. I would love to pass it down to grandchildren and beyond as a piece of history.

dreamer31's avatar

Not inherited…..but I cherish my pictures. They are frozen memories/moments in time. Looking at them brings back some wonderful times in my life as well as people. My Daddy died when I was 16 and this is what I have of him. I really should put them on computer but I have thousands of pictures from before the amazing digital camera.
I love this question too.

Adirondackwannabe's avatar

I have one picture of my father. My mother has some others of her own, but she dealt with losing him by getting rid of everything that reminded her of him. Kind of a bummer now. Something to remember when you lose a loved one.

partyparty's avatar

A Victorian Asiatatic Pheasants Meat Platter which has been passed down through the family.
I also wear my grandmothers wedding ring. I would feel naked without it.

VS's avatar

That would probably be one of several items: the solid Honduran mahogany china closet with beveled glass doors that was my mother’s. Then there is the Jasperware Wedgewood tea set that belonged to my grandmother. My great grandfather brought it back to my great grandmother from Bermuda in the early 1800s. I know it is quite valuable but just how valuable, I have not had determined. And finally, the platinum and diamond rings that my daddy gave my mom in 1946 when they were married.

Jude's avatar

My Mom left a few clothes item that mean a lot to me (‘m not a weirdo, but, it still has her smell), but, other than that, nothing really.

OpryLeigh's avatar

A ring of my Grandmothers that she bought over from Singapore in the late 50’s. It’s not an antique by any means and worth absolutely nothing but it’s the most unique peice of jewellry I have ever seen and I never take it off.

@Jude You’re certainly not a weirdo. I know very well how comforting the lingering smell of a loved one can be.

Scooby's avatar

The carpentry tools my uncle left me….. :-/
Not only are they sentimental, I use them too…….. If I lost them I doubt I could find anything as near as replacements, he got most of them while doing his apprenticeship in the late forties…..

WestRiverrat's avatar

My Granddaddy’s single shot shotgun. It no longer is safe to shoot, and it doesn’t have any value, but I won’t part with it until I die.

faye's avatar

My father’s discharge papers from the first world war, and discharge medals, my grandfather’s medal from 1866, the old, old dining room suite, dresser, bureau, and pictures. Boy, people didn’t have many clothes in the old days. This old dresser and bureau set held mom and dad’s clothes!!

Pattijo's avatar

My wonderful grandmothers diamond ring , I never take it off

Seelix's avatar

I can’t believe I didn’t mention this earlier – I have my Nanny’s engagement and wedding rings, which I’ve had sized to fit my pinky and middle finger. I never take mine off, either.

etignotasanimum's avatar

After my great grandmother died last May, the women in the family all inherited a portion of her collectible spoon set. It’s really cool because some of them date from the late 1800’s and were made in Norway, where her father immigrated from.

I also inherited a necklace of hers. The pendant has small pearls strung together to look like a lily. I wear it everyday and have developed the habit of fiddling with the lily when I’m nervous, as if she’s close by and can reassure me that things will be okay. :)

cak's avatar

My father’s paintings, his money clip – it was a gift from my sister and I to him years ago. His Bible. His class ring.

janedelila's avatar

I have a little hinged wooden box, and I put all of the irreplaceable things in it. I know where it is all the time so I can grab and go if I have to.

YARNLADY's avatar

I would really miss the sweet sixteen quilt my grandmother made for me in 1959, the beautiful crocheted bedspread my Mother In Law made for our 25th wedding anniversary, and all of the other handmade articles I have scattered all over the house. None of these handmade things can be replaced.

Axemusica's avatar

Nothing really. I guess my y chromosome?

partyparty's avatar

@Pattijo There is something very personal about a ring isn’t there? I wear my grandmothers wedding ring all the time :)

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