gb's buttons
14 Nov
Years ago when Jeff and I got married, we were living in Florida in his Grandparent’s winter home while Jeff was getting his degree. When we moved in to the Florida house, I went through all of the rooms and closets and took stock of what was left there by GB (Jeff’s grandmother) and Daddy Ray (his grandfather).
Deep in one of the closets, I came across what would become one of my greatest treasures. I saw a dusty old tin and pulled it down. It was heavy, and I was anxious about what was inside…pictures? papers? Old letters? I pulled the lid off and saw a sea of buttons. Hundreds of them. I sat for hours and dug through them. I found GB’s sewing kit. I found her old scissors. I found a handkerchief she used to practice stitches on. She must have trimmed the buttons off of every piece of clothing that she discarded, and I was amazed.
I never knew GB, she died before I met Jeff…but finding her tin of buttons was like finding a little piece of her, hidden in a dusty tin in an old closet. I gave her sewing kit and handkerchief to my Mother-in-Law, who nursed her when she was so sick, and she let me keep this…my lovely treasure.
I’m not sure what it is about the buttons that is so captivating. As I sat with them to take pictures for this post, my daughters and I poured over them, talking about the ones we loved, the ones that were silly or kooky…the ones that were bright and brilliant. I’ve used the buttons to make things for myself, for my children. I’ve used them for web projects. But I mostly use them to feel connected to a woman that I never knew, but that shaped who my family is.
