Grandpa's Pocket Watch

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Janie_Kern]Janie Kern
Sometimes a past childhood brings back a flood of memories about times spent with a special grandparent. You may or may not have had a lot of years to spend with them to hear their stories of their lives and to learn about their wisdom. But some things may stand out in your mind like the gold pocket watch Grandpa carried everyday that you knew him.
Not too long ago I was going through my mom's cedar chest. I found a lot of childhood memories. I found old pictures, baby cloths and some of my mom and dad's old square dance cloths. But then I found a black box lined with black felt. I didn't remember seeing it before but when I opened it I found two gold pocket watches, one a little smaller than the other and both had fancy edging around them. They both had chains on them, one a little different than the other. As I looked closer at each watch, I realized that I recognized them as belonging to my Grandfather. Finding these old and unique timepieces brought back sweet memories of days gone by and the times I spent with a Grandfather. He was one of the most important people in my life.
When I was a little girl, my we lived on a farm and my grandparents lived only a mile away from us. We shared a lot of special times together and would see each other every day. My Grandpa would come to our house every evening around the time. We always knew when he was there because we could hear him whistle. He came into the kitchen pulled his pocket watch out and would say, I'm here at the same time I was yesterday. There were also times that Grandpa and I would plant garden. When we were done we would sit under the old oak tree in the back yard. He would tell me about his hopes for me being successful some day and having a family. Grandpa carried his pocket watch in his right pants pocket and in the left pocket he carried a box of Sun Maid raisins and a pack of Dentyne gum. I guess he thought we might get hungry sitting under that tree.
This old timepiece that he carried became a conversation piece among his grandchildren. Each one of us would sit on his lap and he would let us hold this gold treasurer. In fact, that is how I learned to tell time and also learned how to wind it because it would run down. Back then watches would have to be rewound because the time would be slower and inaccurate. One year at Christmas, my mom and dad gave Grandpa a new gold engraved pocket watch. He was just as proud of that watch as he was the first one. The old watch was neatly put away in a felt lined box to be kept, I'm sure as a keepsake. This new timepiece had an even more ornate design around the edge of it. It also had a long chain on it, just like the first one. He put this new watch in his right pants pocket just like the one before. As time went by, Grandpa continued to carry his treasurer in his pants pocket, still going about his day-to-day activities and telling his grandchildren stories of his childhood. When I look back on those special times with him it warms my heart to know that he played such a huge part in my upbringing.
Memories like these can belong to you as well. The first thing you can do is spend more time with a special loved one in your life, talking to them about their past and learn about their childhood memories. The second thing that you can do is to find something special, like a piece of jewelry or an old picture that was taken with you and that person that brings back memories. And a third thing you could do is to video tape that person telling about past memories with you and special event that you both shared. These are all ways that you can begin to share your family experiences with your children to let them know about their past family history.
The black box with the felt lining protecting these two antique pocket watches has been put away in a safe place to be pasted down to my two sons. They have been told the stories of their Great Grandpa and what a special place he has in my heart. I'm sure there are stories and treasurers that have been pasted down from generation to generation by 100's of other families. This is what makes the past more treasured as time goes on.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Grandpas-Pocket-Watch&id=6441225] Grandpa's Pocket Watch