THE OAK ROCKING CHAIR

As I reflect on Mother’s Day today, I find myself not only remembering my own mother, but also thinking about all of the mothers who have gone before.  Specifically, I’m remembering all of the ancestral mothers in my family, and for me, those individuals are represented by one piece of furniture – a rocking chair.

This isn’t just any rocking chair, it’s a small oak rocker that has been in my family for generations.  The chair came from my mother’s side of the family and goes back to at least my Great Grandmother, and perhaps farther.  What makes this rocking chair so special to me is the connection it has to so many of the women on my mother’s side of the family.

As I mentioned earlier, my Great-Grandmother owned the chair, and my Grandmother, and her siblings were all rocked in it as babies.  My Grandmother was given the chair when she married and began having children of her own, and my Mother and her two older brothers were all rocked in it as well.  Eventually, the chair came to my Mother, and was used to rock me, and my older siblings.

My Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, 

and  Great-Great-Grandmother.

I inherited this chair from my Mother, and it is one of my prized possessions. I have a great love for family heirlooms, especially when they carry such wonderful stories and memories, and this rocking chair has become an important connection to my family tree.  As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, my thoughts turn to this beautiful, little, oak rocking chair, and all of the Mothers who have gone before me.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

***Do you have favorite heirlooms from the Mothers in your family?