Monday, October 29, 2018

A Young Womans Hope Chest ~

My plan was to write this post just after my knee surgery (4 months ago)
after being inspired from a magazine article written about hope chests
where women shared their testimonies related to their own hope chests.
 Lauren from My Wonderfully Made gifted me with
a lovely "thinking of you" package after my surgery and there were two
beautiful magazines that I had the joy of reading while I was laid up in bed.
This particular article was such a delight to read,
because I could relate to the days when I joyfully added beautiful treasures
to my own hope chest looking forward to the time when I would put them to use.



Being the eldest granddaughter, I was blessed to inherit 
my precious grandmother's cedar chest that was originally her mother's. 
Grandma Maxie was my dad's mom, born and raised in Taylorville Illinois 
who was an Irish spitfire through and through.
Grandma was full of life and vigor until the day she went home
to be with the Lord at the age of 96.
One characteristic that I saw and admired in Grandma,
was that you never heard her talk about anyone,
she was gracious even when she had opportunity not to be.


As a young teen I didn't see the importance of a hope chest,
but Grandma took the time and shared with me
of the importance in acquiring a hope chest and filling 
it with both practical and luxurious items that would serve me well
for many years to come.
Having that hope chest in my room with matching cedar furniture
was special, and through out my growing up years
I had the delight of carefully looking for, and placing special items away for the time
when I would make my own home with my husband.
My treasured trousseau began with Grandma Maxie's
fiesta dinnerware that was used for many years
from the time she began her own home and family of 4 children.
I too used that dinnerware for the first few years of our marriage,
now that beautiful dinnerware graces my hutch
and suits our country home perfectly.



Grandma Maxie gifted me with other items that were from her own kitchen cupboards,
and while I used them for years some of them now grace my home
as vintage decoration.



While Grandma Maxie wasn't a fu-fu frills and lace kinda gal
 my Granny on mom's side was, and because of her love for
crystal, fine china, lace and linens, some of her hand embroidered pillowslips
made their way into my chest.
Those of you who have come to know me a little know that
I love crystal, china and have a weakness for linens and lace.



It wasn't until later in my life that I was blessed to receive
some of Granny's pretty dishes.


 Some day I would like to write a post on my Granny,
because by the age of ten she had made quite an impact on my life
as a young  girl who wanted to be just like her when I grew up!
Granny went home to Heaven when I was at the age of ten.



My cedar chest has been through four generations
where it now resides in my youngest daughters home
along with all my cedar bedroom furniture that I grew up with.
My husband refinished each piece of furniture, including the chest
year's ago, and he did such a lovely job.

~ ~ ☆ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆ ~ ~

Although a hope chest may not be of great importance to some of today's young women

 there was a time, not so long ago, when young women
 filled their hope chest with practical and luxurious items
in preparation for, and with the hope of one day
being ready and prepared for their wedded day in loving marriage,
and the hopes of one day having a family of her own.

~ ~ ☆ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆ ~ ~

 ~ Faith and Hope ~


"And with your love put faith, calm-eyed and level-hearted.
And with that tie up a nosegay of hope,
sweet, gay, light-hearted hope. Throw that into your chest,
and for a good measure gather up a few herbs from the humble garden
of patience ~ throw them into the chest.

And when you are all done and the chest is full
and you put your hand into the hand of the man who loves you,
take the chest with you and go somewhere together,
and make in his harried, restless, worried world a haven and a shelter
and a snug harbor against all the kinds that blow
and all the storms that rage, and call it H-O-M-E"
~ Winifred Black ~

~ ~ ☆ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆ ~ ~

How about you ~ was a hope chest a part of your life?
Is a hope chest a part of your life now?

Blessings!
~ Debbie ~ 

29 comments:

Sarah said...

This is such a beautiful post! Thank you for sharing this special story about your grandmother. I loved seeing your beautiful hope chest and special treasures. I had a hope chest, and it was always a delight to create special treasures or find items at sales to tuck away for "someday". My grandma gave me a set of dishes for my sixteenth birthday to save in my hope chest. I am so glad she did, since she died just months before my wedding (when I was 28). I felt like she was still a special part of my early days of marriage. Thank you also for sharing the hope chest poem. I will write that down and save it. May you have a blessed day!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a beautiful post! Such love, such memories. Thank you for sharing. You were blessed to have had such wonderful relationships in your life.

Love, hugs & prayers ~ FlowerLady

Creations By Cindy said...

Oh my goodness! This post just about made me cry dear friend. Love all the beautiful pictures. What a beautiful and wonderful heirloom in that beautiful Hope chest! Brought back so many memories for me. I had a beautiful Hope chest that my grandfather made for me as a young girl. Oh it held my little things in hopes of one day I would be married. We lost our home in 1987 to a fire and my beautiful solid cedar chest was gone. But the memories inside that chest are still in my heart. As my oldest daughter began to become a young woman I decided she too needed a hope chest and we bought her a cedar one. Now, after two children, she stores memories in her hope chest of her children. Priceless! Thank you for sharing today. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Debby Ray said...

Oh my friend, this is such a precious post. I have very clear memories of the days when I was growing up and remembering my older sisters, specifically, speaking of their hope chests. My mother had a beautiful old cedar chest that I'm sure my oldest sister has in her possession. Since there were so many of us girls, our hope chests were not actually literal ones, but just collections of things we had put away somewhere to save for our future lives as wives and homemakers. You have so many WONDERFUL keepsakes, Debbie, and those metal spoons and measuring cups look very familiar since we had some lust like them. The vintage lace doilies and embroidered linens are stunning and what a joy it must be for you to link them to such special women in your life! Thank you for this lovely post and for sharing your precious treasures with us! HUGS!

Debbie Nolan said...

Ah Debbie - I too have my grandma's cedar chest. It resides in my art studio. Holds my wedding gown, an afghan that my hubby's grandma made for us and multiple hand crocheted items. It is well loved and brings back many wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing yours. Hugs!

Roosterhead Designs said...

Oh Debbie what a beautiful post! I love haring about your Grandma's and seeing the wonderful gifts handed down to you. Truly treasures~
Thanks for the beautiful stories~ Hugs, karen o

Simply Handmade Farmhouse said...

What a blessings to have such lovely things from your grandmother. Beautiful post, have a lovely day.

NanaNor's said...

Wonderful post Debbie! I inherited my mom's cedar chest that came from the Orient; it now sits in our living room. It holds her wedding dress in it and some other sentimental items. My hubby made me a cedar chest and helped our girls make their own cedar chests when they were in high school. We all still have those and they hold very special items-family keepsakes etc. I hadn't even thought about giving one of the granddaughter's one of mine when they get older. Hubby would have to make five more so that each girl would have one. Love the items you received from your grandmother. What a godly heritage you have.
Sending hugs and prayers to you today.
Noreen

Anne Payne said...

Oh, what wonderful memories!!! Thank you for sharing. Yes, I had a hope chest my dad made for me. I'm not really sure what happened to it after I was married but I know many years ago I was given my mother's hope chest and now my daughter has it. I believe it was given to my mom by her dad when she was 12 so that would make it 78 years old. Not as old as yours but maybe one day! {{hugs}}

Joyful said...

What a beautiful story about your hope chest and your granny. ♥

tealady said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
doodles n daydreams said...

Yes, I had a hope chest, or rather a glory box as we called them. My daughter now has the one my father made for me for my 21st birthday. It too was filled with the things I bought but there was nothing handed down to put in it. Thanks for this lovely post.
Diana

Lea @ CiCis Corner said...

Oh, yes, I had a hope chest and still have it. My Dad made it and gavee it to me when I graduated from high school. It's made of solid walnut and lined with cedar. It's a shame that they lost their popularity. I'll leave mine to one of my Gran girls and hopefully it will remain in the family for many years. Happy new week Debbie!

Ruth Hiebert said...

This post stirred a lot of memories.Yes,I did have a hope chest.I had and still do have a weakness for fancy glassware.I had some delicate and beautiful glass dishes in there. The crocheted doilies remind me of some I still own and some I have made over the years. The most cherished items in my hope chest were two sets of translucent white cups and saucers.They had been a gift to my parent on their wedding day in 1948.I love them and still cherish them today. Thanks for all the memories this triggered.

Kerin said...

A lovely post, filled with precious memories and mementoes of your sweet grandma.
I too had a hope chest, and lovingly filled it with quilts, dishes, etc.
Items for my future home and my hope chest sits in our living room these days, and after a flood many years ago, when it was damaged, I repurposed my hope chest into a blanket chest.

I would love if young women brought back the tradition of hope chests!
Not only are hope chest practical, but they represent a positive outlook and hope for a future filled with love and a willingness to cultivate an attitude of stick~to~itivness!!

Smiles :)
~K

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

What a lovely post to read Debbie, how I loved to hear the story of your hope chest and all the lovelies that you stored in it for that special day! I too had a hope chest that was actually a bench with a storage area, dual purpose :) I loved putting all kinds of treasures in it, from both my grandmothers, mother and even a silver sugar container from my great-grandmother. It is such a special thing to be able to collect and store things for that special day. It is a tradition that I hope does not disappear in today's modern world, thank you for bring such lovely attention to the subject :) Blessings and hugs to you sweet friend!

Anonymous said...

Oh Debbie this is such a beautiful post :) I have a hope chest that I acquired through furniture from a b&b business my husband and I owned. It is quite special to me. Thank you for sharing your lovely blessings from your grandmother...

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Such a wonderful story. I love that you inherited your grandmother's hope chest, and that you used it exactly as it was intended. I never had one. I remember when the Lane Hope Chest salesmen came around our school and gave us girls (our senior year) a little sample cedar hope chest as a gift, with the hope of course that we would want to buy a hope chest from them. My family couldn't afford to do that. I do have many lovely old things now from my husband's grandmother and my own mother/grandmother. I do not have a daughter to pass these things down to...but I hope my daughter in law might enjoy some of them someday, or perhaps a great-granddaughter if I ever get one. (I only have one grandson and probably won't be getting any others, so I am looking for that great-granddaughter). Thank you for this lovely post. I feel like I know you even better now. I was surprised that your grandmother (the first one) looked a lot like my hubby's mother who just passed away recently. Her picture really got my attention!

hobbyloes said...

What a beautiful post and memory, so many wonderful and lovely things from both your grandmothers who have kept you.
I also have a few nice things from my grannies, but the family was big and it was divided, so there was little left.
But what I have, that I cherish.

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

Oh my what treasures! Your chest is gorgeous!
Glad I dropped by tonight.
Hugs,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

Brenda said...

Hi Debbie,
I have never heard of a hope chest, but they sound lovely and I have things that my mum and my husband's mother left for us and one of them is a beautiful bone china tea set with forget me not flowers on. Although I may not have a physical hope chest I, as I am sure you have too, have the greatest spiritual hope chest anyone could have, filled with the promises of God and the legacy left by Jesus, His Son.
God bless you Debbie.

Anonymous said...

What a nice post! I never had the chance to have a hope chest. (So funny...I was just visiting another blog where she mentioned "hope" and I was telling her my little girl's middle name is Hope and that I named my Etsy shop after her--she is "Little Hope". It must be a day for hope!) Anyways, after reading your post, it just seems so nice. I didn't grow up in a home that really had things like that, but I myself LOVE lace and teacups and things like that. Maybe someday I will get my own daughter one. My husband is a carpenter...hmmm...maybe you've sparked a future gift for her!

Thank you for sharing this. I really enjoyed it. :)

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

What a wonderful post about you and your Grandma's. I love the idea of a Hope chest but never had one. I would have enjoyed gathering pretty things to store away in it. How nice that your daughter has yours and your furniture in her home.

Alessandra said...

This is a such precious post full of sweet and important memories
Hugs

Evelyn Bray said...

I inherited my great grandma's hope chest. I didn't have much besides heirlooms to store in it, but I have an extra set of china etc in it now, along with other things I inherited from her, like jewelry her brother bought her when he came back from WW2 and her grandmother's wedding ring. I would post a picture if it would let me, it is very ornate.

Stephanie said...

Awww... what a precious post! I so enjoyed reading the story behind the hope chest and oh, how thankful I am to have the hope chest in my home. It's such a treasure.

I can't believe how much I have missed on your blog. I thoroughly enjoyed your most recent post and loved the pictures with roses...especially the one with the pink rose laying on the Bible next to the verse with the pink underlining.

You always share such beauty, both in words and photos. Thank you! Have a delightful day! Love you

The Tea Lady's Journal said...

I truly enjoyed reading this post about your Hope Chest. I love that it has been a part of so many lives. I have a hope chest myself. I also love your pretty doilies, tea sets and pretty dishes. I cherish each piece of china or any item that I have been blessed with that was passed down from family members.

Thank you for following along with my blog. I will now follow along with yours. I see that you might be away for awhile. Take care; and l will look forward to your posting again when you return.

Jazzmin said...

Dearest friend, I am all but bursting at the seams with joy and delight at your most beautiful post!! I was coming back to re-read your inspiring words in the post above this one and happened to scroll further down and realized I had somehow completely missed this post and I'm not sure how!
Oh what glorious beauties and treasures from your hope chest, and your hope chest itself is just beautiful... I'm typing "beautiful" too much already, but it is necessary ;) I have been reading of hope chests so much over the past year and am so blessed and delighted by stories of lovely ladies with their hope chests- and now I get to read about your hope chest story and see the delights inside of yours! What a treat♥
I've so enjoyed a quiet moment spent with you this afternoon, dear Debbie, and getting to see your treasured pieces and hear of the dear ladies in your life that are such a big part of your hope chest memories. I can imagine how lovingly they blessed you with each piece and moment spent with them.

Also, I read a wonderful article on Hope Chests recently too and thought we might have read the same one- the one I saw was in Victoria Bliss magazine :) It inspired me (like your post is) to buy a real hope chest- I have collected a few heirlooms and pieces over the years that were put in a small chest that was more a little girl's size, but I am excited to look for a true hope chest at an antique store as soon as I'm able to purchase one :)

Thinking of and praying for you (and for your continued wellness♥) often and hoping you have been so very blessed in this glorious season!
Love to you,
Jazzmin

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