Christmas Trees & Family Museums . . .

Have you ever noticed that when you put your ornaments on your Christmas tree that you are creating a family museum? If you and your family are like most families, over the years, you bought, collected, got handed-down and even made many of the ornaments. Perhaps there are a few left from your childhood that were significant to you or another family member. Maybe the ones you have purchased over the years were because the ornament reminded you of a special person or event in you and your family’s life. Could be that there is a particular collection of ornaments from places visited. The ones that are most precious are the ones that were hand made by you or your child.

 

All or many of these decorations represent your family and your memories, and that is what a Family Museum is all about. As you take the baubles out of the box, I bet you can tell a story about it as you gaze upon the shining object, touch the sparkles, and even see your reflection on the ornament as you hang it on the tree. And as you tell the story it makes you recall that moment in time when you first saw it and put it on the tree. And when you find one that has broken it might make you ponder on why it broke. Were you not careful enough with it? Did you rush it into the box not realizing that it may be in jeopardy as other ornaments were placed in the box? Though it may have broken, the memory is still there and maybe you can find another one like it to replace it or maybe even fix it.

Whatever and however you decorated your Christmas tree this year, remember that you are witnessing a gathering of memories and perhaps you should write them down, place the little note with the ornament for the future. It is essential in life to keep your memories alive and well.

My Christmas gift to you and your family are these wonderful quotes I have assembled and listed in my book,

Create a Family Museum and Save Your History,

to read and keep in mind as you go through life.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

 

 

Quotes:

 

“Keep all special thoughts and memories for lifetimes to come. Share these keepsakes with others to inspire hope and build from the past, which can bridge to the future.”                                          ~ Mattie Stepanek

"Do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your children's children."                                                         ~ Deuteronomy

 

“A morsel of genuine history, a thing so rare as to be always valuable.”             ~ Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States

 

“Keep some souvenirs of your past, or how will you ever prove it wasn’t all a dream?”                                                           ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

“If you don’t recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them, too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are.”                                               ~ Madeleine L’Engle, American Writer

 

My book is available through the publisher’s website:

Orders@HeritageBooks.com and available on Amazon

 

  

 

Let the Holidays begin . . .



As we finished the month of October with many fascinating Halloween characters, took down the ghosts hanging in our yard, we hung the Thanksgiving flag from the veranda and the wreath on the door and filled the cornucopia with small ears of colored corn and lots of funny-shaped gourds grown in our yard.

On the first of the month, my son & daughter went to see the reenactment of the First Thanksgiving at the Berkeley Plantation on the James River on Route 5 in Charles City County, VA.
In 1619, English settlers observed the first official Thanksgiving in America with Native Americans. Read more about it at: http://www.berkeleyplantation.com/first-thanksgiving.html

The next Sunday was Veteran’s Day, a solemn occasion of reverence, respect and regard for all those who served our country. My husband and son went to the Veteran’s Day Ceremony held at the Victory Arch in Newport News, Virginia. Songs, Anthems, speakers and tributes were performed, with the resounding cry from the lone trumpeter playing Taps. This is a good time to honor your family veteran by placing a remembrance to them in your Family Museum.

And if this isn’t enough, next weekend starts the holiday season off with a staggering display of holiday cheer and delight at Busch Gardens Christmas Towne. My son is a train conductor on the steam-powered locomotives taking park guest on a Railway train ride around the park. https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/events/christmas-town/

Then on Thanksgiving Day, not only is it a national holiday, it is also a special day for us for it will be our 49^th Wedding Anniversary. I guess we will be having turkey for dinner and of course, champagne to celebrate the occasion.

Once Thanksgiving is over, out comes the Christmas decorations. As this holiday season is longer, we take our time opening a plethora of boxes filled with Christmas lights, garlands, ornaments, and wreaths, decorating and truly enjoy the bright color lights and festive colors throughout the house.

 So let the festivities commence and save these memories in our Family Museum.                                                           Happy Holidays
 

I want to take this moment to write a few words about the devastating fires in California. In my previous post of Oct. 21: Lost Memories can be replaced,” I wrote how lives can by rebuilt by finding replacements for their lost heirlooms, giving them a sense of place and history again. Now more than ever it is important to consider creating a Family Museum to protect and proudly display ones' heritage. God Bless and carry on . . .

Lost memories can be replaced . . .

Devastation of any kind, be it by fire, hurricane, floods, tornadoes and theft, results in lost heirlooms and treasures one may feel can never be replaced. And this may be true in some circumstance, especially if the item was rare and cannot be replaced. However, many things can be, therefore, I am offering hopefully a little bit of solace with a few suggestions on how one can go about replacing their lost items.

In every city, town and on-the-road, there are individual antiques shops, antique malls with a plethora of booths showcasing and selling everything from A to Z. Even yard and garage sales. It doesn’t matter where you find your lost treasure and even if it is not exactly like the one that perished. As long as it resembles the piece(s).

Start by either finding a photograph of the lost item or search for a similarity online. In fact, it is possible to find most of what is lost by simply sitting at the computer and let your fingers tap away. Both ways, either physically or sitting and searching can help ease the pain of loss and even offer a bit of fun while you go on the hunt, because one of the greatest pleasures in life is when you find what you are looking for.

And after the replacement is completed, remember to always take a photo of it and log the items history: where and when you purchased it and what you paid for it. Insurance companies require authentication on many things and more than ever on antiques and other valuable items. It also provides a little piece of mind for you and your family.

Most of all, always remember that your memories will continue to be there even if the object of that memory is no longer with you. Life does go on and you never need to be without the things that make you happy. So go on, go to that antique store and peruse the many things that will take you down memory lane. And if and when that lost family heirloom is relocated, please start a Family Museum with it and build around it. Make it grow and flourish just as memories have over the years. Good luck!

The following page is a chapter taken from my book, Create a Family Museum and Save Your History. The words focus on the heartfelt theory of why we save things. Enjoy!

The Comfort of Things              

Everyone has an opinion. Many, particularly those in the field of analyzing human behavior, who, with my pedestrian knowledge on the study of the brain, have come to the conclusion that they are even still confused about the whys and wherefores as to why people collect, even after all their exploration and evaluations are through. Therefore, to simply state it, people collect and people save. It’s only human nature that we do. So let’s start out with an uncomplicated theory: things give us comfort.

Accumulation of things presents a tangible expression of a person or household. From the decorations hanging on the walls, to whose photographs are on display, and what collections are arrayed on mantelpieces. Material objects also help deal with loss and change and provide comfort. Collecting is also a great hobby. One can also learn about people through the medium of their things. There is a complex role played by objects in our lives, and indeed in our relationships with others. Becoming attuned to the presence of material forms can sometimes speak more easily and eloquently to the nature of relationships than can people themselves.

Does this make any sense to you? Kind of, you may think. Say, for example, you invite a new friend to your home and conversations are a bit awkward at first. Then you point out your collections of antique paper weights, each having a story to tell. Everyone had some kind of paper weight in their life and this subject may induce a lively conversation that will create a comfort zone. People like to tell stories and people like to hear them as long as you involved them by asking questions about their collections.  

So what do you collect? And why do you collect? 

When people think of collecting, they may imagine expensive works of art or historical artifacts that are later sold to a museum or

listed on eBay.  The truth is, for many people who amass collections, the value of their collections are not monetary but emotional —and often, not for sale. Collections allow people to relive their childhoods, to connect themselves to a period in history or to a time they feel strongly about. Their collections may help keep the past present, creating a comfortable atmosphere in which to live. However, do you feel overwhelm with stuff, fear that you are more connected to your material possessions more so then your relationships with people? That the more materialistic you become the more superficial you are, and that your relationships with people suffer as a result? Hogwash! The opposite is true; that possessions often remain profound and usually the closer our relationships are with objects, the closer are relationships with people.”

 

Collectors are really happy people.  Collecting is still mostly associated with positive emotions. There is the happiness from adding a new find to the collection, the excitement of the hunt, the social camaraderie when sharing their collection with other collectors. It is the comfort of things.

 

 

Excerpt from, “The Comfort of Things,” written by Daniel Miller; Cambridge: Polity, 2008

 

 

My book can be purchased at either of these sites:

 https://heritagebooks.com/collections/recent-publications/products/create-your-family-museum-and-save-your-history-how-to-find-space-create-organize-preserve-and-display-family-heirlooms-treasures-and-memories

 

https://www.amazon.com/Create-Family-Museum-Save-History/dp/0788457640/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1540153835&sr=1-1&keywords=elizabeth+Goesel

 

 

Where did September go?

My family and I were so glad to see September start and even happier when it came to a close. Why?

Here’s why . . . but first I had to resort looking back on my calendar to recall all the things and events that occurred.

All the schools were back in business after Labor Day and we could already feel the difference in the air. No noise from the community pool which is close to our house, the stores were fairly quiet with all the school supplies sold, and the tempo of the day returned to its normal beat with the days getting progressively shorter.

 

We were hoping for our hot weather to start cooling off, but that wasn’t happening. In fact, there was Hurricane Florence approaching our eastern shores and we were told to buckle down our homes and fill our pantries. Charlie even secured his young willow tree from the savage winds.

As the hurricane couldn’t make up its mind which way or what state it was going to hit, the barometric pressure and constant heat played havoc with our nerves. Then our air conditioner decided to quit. Needless to say, this furthered our discomfort and made working

in the house difficult, for we were expecting company. Why is it that chores, repairs, cleaning and such are put off until company comes? I guess it is because now you have a need, thus incentive to get those things done, so we did and after it was all done, we patted each other on the back and took a nap.

Then the hurricane blasted the shores of North Carolina and its furious winds decided to change course, going around Virginia’s shores, to the west, then north then east again, skipping over us. This was good but it trapped the hot humid air and made us all miserable. It even made air travel for our guess uncertain but when the day came for her to fly from Chicago to us, all was fine and she arrived, safe and happy.

Donna stayed for a week and we entertained, went shopping, sightseeing, and I even gave a talk on my book to a local genealogical club where she pitched in and had a great time. Before that our family hosted our monthly wine & dine group, which is pretty easy but nonetheless, creates more work.   

The time went fast and she was back on the plane to Chicago.

 

It took us the next week to recoup from all of this activity and then the weather started to get cooler. I got back to taking care of our booth at the local antique mall and on the last day of Sept. there was an antique car show there and we enjoyed looking at all the old cars. Great way to end this crazy month.

Now it is October and we are  once again waiting for the weather to get cooler and thinking about the holidays. I also need to get back into our Family Museum and organize the things we have been adding to our collections over the months. I truly enjoy working in our little museum and happy to know that our past is secure and on display for us and all the visitors that come our way. So how is your Family Museum doing? I hoped you saved your summertime memories and added whatever pictures and souvenirs you collected along the way.

And as the evenings start earlier and days become shorter, now is a good time to start organizing your memories before more are garnered with holidays and such. Until then, enjoy October and take care. I will post again when the spirit inclines me to do so.

 

On The Radio . . .

On July 8^th I had the opportunity to be interviewed on a local radio show, The Neal Steele Show in Gloucester, VA. 
 http://xtra99.com/team/neal-steele/

As members of the Chesapeake Bay Writers, authors are encouraged to promote their books and being on the radio is one of the best methods to get the word out. The author is given a few guidelines as to what to expect and to just be yourself and talk.

Neal is a skillful host that makes the author feel comfortable, sharing conversational banter that radio listeners like. So with his skill and my desire to talk about my book, we had a good time and hopefully, some books were sold. The author gives the sales information so the audience can find the book.

My book can be purchased either through the publisher: www.HeritageBooks.com or on Amazon.

The interview was taped and a link to the podcast is given in our newsletter for members to listen to. I have copied the link here for you:

https://soundcloud.com/user-690985594-963820146/780723_001a

In the newsletter, a write-up is given informing the member of the interview and a picture of the book's cover.

Elizabeth Goesel -- Create Your Family Museum and Save Your History,
July 8, 2014                                                       
Neal Steele interviewed Liz Goesel about her book, Create Your Family Museum and Save Your History that discusses, "How to Find Space, Create, Organize, Preserve and Display Family Heirlooms, Treasures and Memories." Throughout the book there are inspirational quotes that are encouraging and motivating. So get ready to create your Family Museum. Make a concerted effort to preserve your heritage. It is a vital link to your cultural, educational, artistic, inspirational and economical legacies — all of the things that literally make you who you are.

After the interview, I asked Neal if I could have a picture of the two of us in his radio studio and he was happy to do so. The experience was at first a little nervy and a bit of apprehension creeps into your head, but when it is over, you can’t believe what a piece-of-cake it was and that you will do it again when your next book comes out. So to all you authors out there, get on the radio and talk, talk, talk!

Hope your August has been pleasant. Continue to enjoy the summer with friends and family and don’t forget to make lots of memories, not only in pictures, but all the little souvenirs you collect and when you get home, put them in your Family Museum to keep and preserve the good times.

Bastille Day and Me . . .

This past Saturday, July 14^th was my birthday. Though every year I wish I go be in Paris to celebrate my day because they celebrate Bastille Day with fireworks and parties galore. Perhaps one birthday I will, however, the one my family gave me was absolutely wonderful.

Breakfast and present opening on the veranda in the morning. Then we went to the Antique Mall to put a few more things into our booth. We have only been open less than two weeks and already had many sales. This is fun!

Later that afternoon we drove to Yorktown which is about 20 minutes from our house, and we had dinner on the terrace at the seafood restaurant, and then we walked to the pier for a sunset sail down the York River.

Charlie had a great time helping the deckhand set the sails, Tiffeni enjoyed talking with the passengers and crew, and Keith and I just sat together watching the shorelines go by.
Then as we sailed back to the dock, the sun set slowly behind the York River Bridge. What a sight. Then we drove home and had a delicious ice cream cake. WOW! What a great birthday!
 

Hope you enjoyed some pictures from that day and know that my family and I will treasure this memory forever, and we will put into our Family Museum a few things from that day to cherish always.

 Enjoy your summer. Till later . . . .

Happy 4th of July . . .

 

Independence Day, also referred to as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

 

 

 

Being of independent mind & spirit, I have taken on a new enterprise that may seem to be opposite of what I have been advocating and championing on my blog; keeping, displaying and preserving family heirlooms and memorabilia.

As I search through all the boxes, closets, the attic and basement, even the garage, and after assembling four Family Museums: Parents side, children’s side, maternal & paternal grandparents sides, there were many other  accumulations of possessions that were no longer needed or wanted. I was perplexed as to what to do with these belongings until I met with a friend from days gone by and asked her what was she doing these days. She said she opened a booth at our local antique mall because after her three boys were married and in their own homes, she, too, wondered what to do with all the things accumulated over the years. And she also inherited many family antiques and did not have the space for them. So that got me thinking. After family discussions, we all agreed to do the same, hence, we opened a booth at the antique mall and call it “Eclectic Collections.”

So during the month of June, we sorted through, inventoried and priced many items. Then during the first three days of July, we hauled over many bookcases and set them up in our space, brought in over a dozen boxes and set the collections on the shelfs. And being the 4^th of July today, we are taking the day off and celebrating our wonderful independence to be able to do freely what we want with our lives. It is truly an honor to be an American citizen.

Once our booth is completed, I will take some pictures and post them. Until then, enjoy the holiday, give thanks to your family and friends, and especially for those who have fought bravely for or independence throughout history and more than ever today. God Bless America!

 

If I had to choose . . .

Today, 49 years ago, I met my husband, Keith. I didn’t know it at the time, but when I first saw him walk through the Valley View Young Adults Club, located in Frankfort, Illinois, I knew I was going to marry him. In fact, the girlfriend I was sitting with turned out to be my Maid-of-Honor, Runi.

Keith walked in with his friend Roger, who Runi thought was cute and wanted to dance with him. When we all got upstairs to the dance hall, Roger asked me to dance before Keith did. I can’t remember if Roger danced with Runi, but as soon as the dance was over, I walked over to Keith and started to talk to him. Then we danced to the next song, and I think the one after that.

At the end of the evening, we all walked out of the club. It was a warm evening and we stood and talked awhile. Then Keith asked me for my phone number. I gave it to him but was concerned he wouldn’t remember it since he didn’t have anything to write it down on. He said he would remember it and will give me a call. Boy, I sure hoped he would.

Now I can’t remember if he called me the following day, but he did call me. I was thrilled. We talked a while and then he asked me for my address and said he would come over. And that Sunday, that summer . . . and as they say, the rest is history.

So here we are, on June 1, 2018, and don’t you laugh, sitting across from each other working on a jigsaw puzzle. When I remarked to him about this, we both had a good laugh and then realize that you know, this wasn’t so bad at all. Here we are, together all these years and now have come to a time in our lives when we can play with a puzzle in the middle of a Friday afternoon. And then Keith said, and something he says often, how did we get here? I smiled, he smiled, and we went on, for today is another good day and tomorrow will come and life goes on, hopefully for many, many years to come.

Happy Anniversary, Honey, Keith. I Love You!

Your Honey Liz

P.S. Honey, here is a song that reminds me of when we met. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVpHLmZDs0o&start_radio=1&list=RDYVpHLmZDs0o#t=0

The lyrics to: That Sunday, that summer

If I had to choose just one day
To last my whole life through
It would surely be that Sunday
The day that I met you

Newborn whippoorwills were calling from the hills
Summer was a-coming in but fast
Lots of daffodils were showing off their skills
Nodding all together, I could almost hear them whisper
"Go on, kiss her, go on and kiss her"

If I had to choose one moment
To live within my heart
It would be that tender moment
Recalling how we started
Darling, it would be when you smiled at me
That way, that Sunday, that summer

(Newborn whippoorwills were calling from the hills)
(Summer was a-comin' in but fast)
(Lots of daffodils were showin' off their skills)
(Nodding all together, I could almost hear them whisper)
("Go on, kiss her, go on and kiss her")

If I had to choose one moment
To live within my heart
It would be that tender moment
Recalling how we started
Darling, it would be when you smiled at me
That way, that Sunday, that summer

-Artist: Nat King Cole
-peak Billboard position # 12 in 1963
-Words and Music by George David Weiss and Joe Sherman