As a little Minnesota farm girl, I loved to explore the outdoors, but I loved even more exploring indoors by going through boxes on closets shelves, seldom-used drawers, and Mom’s cedar chest. Mom paid little attention to my treasure hunting as she was kept busy on the farm, as well as taking care of us and helping Dad.
Among the treasures in Mom’s cedar chest were a newspaper clipping, many black and white photos, and some curious, but beautiful furry material.
I was able to read when I first came across the little newspaper clipping. It made a big impression on me and I have never forgotten its message.
BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE by Frank Herbert Sweet
If you have a tender message,
Or a loving word to say,
Do not wait until you forget it,
But Whisper it today;
The tender word unspoken,
The letter never sent,
The long forgotten messages,
The wealth of love unspent
For those some hearts are breaking,
For these some loved ones wait;
So show them that you care for them
Before it is too late!
The treasures remained in the cedar chest for 30 years at our first farm near St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, and for nearly another 25 years at the second farm near Watertown, Minnesota.
As the years were going by, Mom suggested that I start going through her “stuff” to give it to us kids.
I began to unpack the treasures in the cedar chest. I made a copy of the clipping for myself and shared it in my Christmas letter that year. With the help of my sister, Linda, and sister-in-law, Darlene, they put the black and white photos in a special photo album for Dad and Mom. Dad was so pleased to see the old photos that had been tucked away for years.
But the furry material? What was it? What should I do with it? I figured that if Mom hadn’t made anything from it by then, she probably wouldn’t mind if I did.
I confessed to taking the liberty to use the treasures in the cedar chest to do something special for Christmas. I decided to use the furry material to make nine teddy bears for us nine kids.
But my sister-in-law, Carol, wanted to know more about the furry fabric. What was it? Where did it come from?
My dad solved the mystery: he revealed what it was and its history. My Dad had sent it to Mom during WW II from Germany. The troops had freed from the Nazis a small town with a textile factory. The factory owner was so grateful for their new freedom that he wanted to do something special for the troops. He arranged with the military officials to allow the troops to purchase their fabric at a special price and then to ship it to the United States. When Dad was asked if he knew what they used the fur fabric for in Germany, his response was: “for casket lining.” Now we knew that we each had a special treasure from WW II: casket lining teddy bears.
The cedar chest held family treasures: Dad enjoyed showing everyone the old black and white photos; we have our WW II teddy bears; and, most importantly, I still have the special message to remind me that each day is a treasure and that no matter how busy we are, we need to remember to show people that we care for them before it is too late!
Copyright © 2024 by Monica Taylor
Monica….Thank you for this tender story!! Jan