In my family, I am known as "the keeper of old things." This is because they know that I love the stories  accompanying each treasure.

A few years ago, my mother laid in my possession a precious collection of white handkerchiefs she received on her birthday in June of 1954, following her marriage in January of that same year.

As I pondered how to display these delicate reminders of a past milestone, I came across photos depicting her early childhood and decided to combine the collections, as she wasn't much more than a child when she married.

From far left is a picture of my grandparents, Fred and Effie Belle Aly, on their honeymoon.

Next, they are holding their baby girl, Dorothy Jean Aly Jones, my mother.

The following two pictures are of mother as a young girl playing and walking on the beaches of Florida, where she was raised.

Recently, Mother brought me a favored book of my Grandma Effie, entitled 'Shining Rain,' a book of poems she and mother purchased on a retreat to Ridgecrest, NC, with the young women from their church. Grandma enjoyed reading these poems to her teenaged daughter, hoping to instill the values and lady-like behavior befitting a Christian young woman.

How I miss my Grandma. She left this world too soon, which impresses upon me the appreciation for each day that passes and I am able to hear my mother's voice on the phone or hold her hand on Sundays, sitting next to her in the pew.


I read the poems in this sweet text, thinking of a young mother and her daughter. I cannot tarry long in my wonderings, of whence came my love for poetry and pretty, vintage handkerchiefs.