Love your story. Thanks for sharing... as it brought me back to also saving my father's belts. One of the numerous items kept after his passing. With one of the belts I commissioned a friend to make 3 leather cuffs from a belt with fine detail. These crafted pieces of jewelry were gifted to my 3 nieces as keep things of their Grandpa. Good to remember.
So touching. Thank you for sharing a glimpse into your special relationship with your grandad. How wonderful you went on that cruise together and now have that belt (both great photos included in this lovely piece of writing).
Thank you so much! This time of my life with my grandfather was special. I feel like I'm still uncovering treasures from it. And it's definitely something I'm thanking my past and younger self for doing! :-)
I love this story, and how kind you were to your grandfather even though he could be brusque. The photo tells the story: you enriched each other's lives with love.
What a blessing that you spent time with your grandfather. Mine said the same thing when I tried to get him to talk about his life. He preferred to talk about politics during ‘the war’. Great shot of the belt. Do you ever wear it?
My grandfather loved good conversations! Among his pals at Homewood was a woman and he always made a point to tell me, "She's a good conversationalist." But folks of his generation didn't think it was polite to talk about themselves. His talk was a "rite of passage" at Homewood. And I hope there was a similar group for women! I forgot to ask!
You know, I haven't worn the belt, but I do love belts! I think I may have tried it on once. I think I will give it a spin! :-)
Oh. How wonderful this was to read. My grandfather was already an old man when I was a child. He died when I was ten. He was a farmer, and when he was moved to the city after his farm had to be sold, he walked miles and miles every day. I wish I knew what he thought about on all those treks. You were blessed to know yours in this relational way.
Thank you so much for reading my story. That is rather fascinating to think about -- just what did he think on those walks? Perhaps something will come to you one of these days, from memories made when you were able to spend time with him.
Wonderful!! This piece drew me in, in such a gentle way. Perhaps because I related to the author’s self-described indecisiveness. I had more than one elder of that generation lose patience with me when I took my time deciding what to buy/eat/do. But my own generation doesn’t seem to see me that way. Thanks for a wonderful portrait of both you and your grandfather. And the belt! Dividing the crisp shirt from the crisp trousers reminds me so much of my father.
Thank you for your comments and for identifying as a fellow "seeing things from all sides" person (another way to look at indecisiveness)! And thank you for reading!
Love your story. Thanks for sharing... as it brought me back to also saving my father's belts. One of the numerous items kept after his passing. With one of the belts I commissioned a friend to make 3 leather cuffs from a belt with fine detail. These crafted pieces of jewelry were gifted to my 3 nieces as keep things of their Grandpa. Good to remember.
What a great idea. I might steal that!
What a beautiful way to repurpose this meaningful item. Thank you for your comment and for sharing your own story!
So touching. Thank you for sharing a glimpse into your special relationship with your grandad. How wonderful you went on that cruise together and now have that belt (both great photos included in this lovely piece of writing).
I just love a story about a younger person wanting to spend time with an old person 💓
Thank you so much! This time of my life with my grandfather was special. I feel like I'm still uncovering treasures from it. And it's definitely something I'm thanking my past and younger self for doing! :-)
I love this story, and how kind you were to your grandfather even though he could be brusque. The photo tells the story: you enriched each other's lives with love.
Thank you so much for your thoughts on my piece. "Brusque" is such a great word for him, perfect really. I'm going to tuck that one away.
❤️❤️❤️
What a blessing that you spent time with your grandfather. Mine said the same thing when I tried to get him to talk about his life. He preferred to talk about politics during ‘the war’. Great shot of the belt. Do you ever wear it?
💓💓💓
My grandfather loved good conversations! Among his pals at Homewood was a woman and he always made a point to tell me, "She's a good conversationalist." But folks of his generation didn't think it was polite to talk about themselves. His talk was a "rite of passage" at Homewood. And I hope there was a similar group for women! I forgot to ask!
You know, I haven't worn the belt, but I do love belts! I think I may have tried it on once. I think I will give it a spin! :-)
That is a lovely story giving an insight into both the kind of man your grandfather was and your relationship and love for him. It moved me ♥️
This is exactly what I told Mary Beth this morning 💓
Thank you! And thank you for your help, Deborah, in bringing my story together!
Thank you for sharing your special relationship with your grandfather!
Thank you for reading 💓
I'm so very happy my story is being read and that other people are getting to know him in this way. <3
This made me teary and made me think of my grandfather who passed 32 years ago. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for this tender comment and for reading. Very best.
Oh. How wonderful this was to read. My grandfather was already an old man when I was a child. He died when I was ten. He was a farmer, and when he was moved to the city after his farm had to be sold, he walked miles and miles every day. I wish I knew what he thought about on all those treks. You were blessed to know yours in this relational way.
Thank you so much for reading my story. That is rather fascinating to think about -- just what did he think on those walks? Perhaps something will come to you one of these days, from memories made when you were able to spend time with him.
Wonderful!! This piece drew me in, in such a gentle way. Perhaps because I related to the author’s self-described indecisiveness. I had more than one elder of that generation lose patience with me when I took my time deciding what to buy/eat/do. But my own generation doesn’t seem to see me that way. Thanks for a wonderful portrait of both you and your grandfather. And the belt! Dividing the crisp shirt from the crisp trousers reminds me so much of my father.
Thank you for your comments and for identifying as a fellow "seeing things from all sides" person (another way to look at indecisiveness)! And thank you for reading!
Beautiful Belt, beautiful story of your grandfather. I enjoyed it.
Thank you so much!
Great essay, Mary Beth! I loved the photo of you & your grandpa on the cruise, too.
Thank you, Lacy! And thank you for being one of my readers for this piece during the development stage! <3
You must be so special! How lovely of you to cherish your time with your grandfather - loved the cruise bit!
Aww! Thank you! The cruise was a hoot and certainly created a treasure trove of good memories with my grandfather. :-)
I wish my kids become grandkids like you and I hope to someday have a grandchild like you too!