my dad use
to call me
jenny penny.
not so very
unusual
for a girl
with the
given name
of jennifer.
like every other
girl born in 1974.
he taught me
how to
drop a penny
into
a mixture of
salt and vinegar
to turn
a dull
brown
penny
shiny again.
every time
he went
on a trip
(this was often
when i was little)
i would make
him a new
lucky penny.
i would make
it shiny
with
vinegar and salt,
staple
it into
an index
card,
and
scrawl
a note
on it.
a few years ago
i found
a whole
pile of
them
in a drawer
of
his dresser.
there
is something
very sweet
and sentimental
about
a father's
nickname
for his little girl.
that's why
i picked
that name
for my
little
vintage store.
i am selling these
things
because i must
but
as a friend
told me
recently-
you can get rid
of the item
but save the memory.
so that's what
i will do...
with the items
i have the most
difficulty
selling
i will
tell the story.
save it
instead
of the item
that i
can no longer
keep.
(like this one)
my store:
items
will be added
often.
hope you
find
something
that
brings
back
sweet
memories.
xo
9 comments:
This is so sweet. What a great name and tough decision you've made. Good luck!
Why must you sell your wonderful stuff?
my dad had a nickname for me too - and it's a precious memory. i love the idea of telling the story and letting go of the things. i think that might help me - i have such a hard time letting go of things sometimes.
Born in '72, my Scottish grandmother intervened on the Jennifer naming. Love your nick-name story.
what a wonderful idea. e recently told me something similar when we were sorting through our closets, and it was so hard for me to let go of old pieces that i haven't worn in many years, because of the sweet memories they evoke. i sat one night and told him the stories, but i like the idea of documenting them, photographing and writing them down.
xo
How brave and strong of you! Is this your Christmas present to Grub?
too tempting.
and how cute is that photo of you as a little??
so, so, so proud of you :)
What sweet memories. I loved learning about your pennies and you finding them all of those years later, knowing they were important enough for him to save. I also loved the story behind your coat. Thank you for sharing!
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