Two days after dad went to meet his heavenly Father in May of 2010, my brother, his girlfriend and I started the process of going through his minimal belongings. Mom and dad had downsized greatly in the moves from a home to an apartment to assisted living, which left them with a few pieces of furniture, their clothes and one or two treasures they held close. Dad had a three-drawer dresser that held a variety of items: Pajamas, T-shirts, towels, his pacemaker call box, a wallet filled with cash, and his beloved stash of gummy bears and licorice. In digging through the middle drawer, past the gummy bears, I found this…
A wooden box. I had never seen this wooden box before. I wondered what was inside and three seconds later, it was open.
I stared at it for half a minute and then a smile placed itself on my heart. Dad had kept a collection of rosaries, a St. Christopher medal, and a blue plastic coin purse that obviously came from years of affiliation with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization. Of all his personal possessions, I had a feeling this meant the most to him.
Dad was Catholic. Â My brother and I were baptized in the church as babies and spent our formative years living through Latin masses and driving for miles on a Sunday, while on vacation, to find the nearest Catholic church. Mom and dad (and the kids) never missed church…because you could not miss church unless you were half dead with illness or lost on the back roads of northern Wisconsin.
I didn’t understand the fuss of church as a child. As an adult, though, I understood the strength of dad’s faith in that box.
That box contained his treasured beads, his commitment to faith and love of his God.
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What a wonderful keepsake!
Absolutely wonderful!
A very sweet story. I sounds like your dad was very loved. 🙂
Thanks and yes, he was.
I’m sure you must be thinking of your dad often, considering the loving words you have for him. I lost mine last summer and like you I found that some of his personal belongings were telling me stories of him that I didn’t know. Thank you for sharing this private moment with us.
I’m sorry your dad has passed, but glad that you have learned more about him through those possessions. I do think of my dad often and try to keep his voice and memory strong.
I totally get this. I expect to find at least one of these when MTM’s mom is gone.
I hope that’s not for awhile, Andra.
So sweet, Mary. I’m glad you got to see this and to have a deeper understanding of your Dad’s treasures. Thank you for sharing them with us!
You’re welcome Cathy. Dad’s treasure has now become mine and a wonderful reminder of him.
what a beautiful post. I grew up Catholic, also, and my dad was a Knight. What memories this brought back. Every month a pancake breakfast after Mass put on by the Knights of Columbus.
Thank you! Pancakes after mass? That’s awesome!
such a sweet story..treasured indeed…make me miss my Dad…cheers from Indonesia…
Cheers back to you and thank you so much for your comments.
This is a beautiful post, and what a lovely keepsake for your family.
Thank you! 🙂
What a wonderful thing to discover, and to have as your own treasure. Perfect for this week 🙂
Yes, it is a wonderful treasure!
No matter what the treasure, it must have been sweet (bittersweet?) to find the items that meant so much to him. I’m glad you found them
It felt sweet at the moment, and I’m glad that he kept it so that I could find it.