I discovered few possessions stand the test of time. No one in the family cares about my treasures. They will go to someone who will not even know my name. One thing I treasure most is time and energy invested in loving family and friends. I tried to preserve memories which are my most precious gifts of love — what I experienced, who I loved, and what I learned throughout life by writing. These are my treasured gifts.
A family forms their own traditions, but continues old traditions. Spending holidays together as a family is important. I am thankful my friends enjoyed its beauties.
Massachusetts is a rich historical state, known as the Bay State. It became the sixth state in 1788. Plymouth, Boston, Concord … I could feel the vibes of war, sweat, and tears by standing on the land. The old State House, Bunker Hill, the belfry of old North Church all began in the state. I envision two lanterns swinging to warn Paul Revere that the British were coming. I absorbed stories by ancient tombstones in the cemeteries. The first library, newspaper and public school started in Massachusetts.
I visited old Cambridge Library, which was smaller than our local libraries. A maroon velvet braid kept anyone from circling up the steep, narrow wooden staircase to dusty diaries in the small room. I felt privileged to view the books, turning to dust, from the early 1600s. No one ventured up there for years. No one seemed to care. My husband attended Lincoln Institute for a week, while I researched the Harvard stacks, Cambridge Library, Boston Public Library, and the New England Genealogy Society Library.
I can picture the Pilgrims in 1621 – so long ago. They had a hard row to hoe, literally. The ground was stony. It suited manufacturing, so the first woolen mill and iron works came out of Boston. A massive electrical machinery and electronics industry grew out of the city.
During the 1800s, the whaling industry was thriving off the coast. Salem, Nantucket, and New Bedford drew young men to hunt for whales. Yankee Clippers, built in Boston, made sailing a favorite sport in the state.
Indoor Christmas trees were not common in England until 1841 — much later in the new country. Remember the lead-based silver icicles from childhood? The first Santa appeared in the early 1800s, but not robust and jolly. He was “skinny, stooped, stern-faced, and grim.” Not until ads of the 1930s pictured Santa fat and jolly did he become the jolly old elf. Still — we made Christmas a time of wonder, love, and peace.
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