Friday, December 23, 2016

A Lifetime Ago -- A Gift from the Past


Recently, I bought a big stack of old magazines for a couple of dollars in an antique mall.
They were all Victoria magazines from the last twenty years or so.


I have become quite a fan of Pinterest but I must say I LOVE magazines.
I love to hold them in my hands and take my time studying every detail of each picture.


While I was paying for these old issues,
the cashier told me the man who was selling them had recently lost his wife
and that he hoped they would go to someone who would enjoy them as she had.


I almost started crying right there in the mall.
It was so touching, I vowed to take care of them for her.


Now, as I wade through the stack, rationing them out slowly each day so they'll last longer,
I'll occasionally spot a ragged edge where a page has been torn out.
I smile, remembering the woman who had owned these magazines, and wonder who she was.
Sometimes, depending on the missing page, I can imagine what she might have been like.


If it's a tea-time article, I picture her at an antique table pouring tea for her friends,
using her grandmother's china and serving dainty finger sandwiches and fancy pastries.


If it's a story about decorating a cozy room,
 I can see her curled up in a comfy chair, reading a good book with a cup of tea.


Maybe it's a travelogue piece about Paris. Then I'm sure we would have been kindred spirits,
both yearning for a magical experience in a beautiful European city. 


Perhaps a garden photo has been carefully removed from the magazine and I know
she must have been an enthusiastic gardener, clipping ideas for next year's perennial bed. 


Sometimes, when I go to an estate sale, I feel sad when I see those things
that were meaningful to the previous owner.  I wonder about her but quickly move on
as I know I'll take care of those special things that I purchase as if they were my own.


So I pack up her ironstone or her vintage silverware and maybe a stack of decorating magazines
and I send her a thank you on the wind with a warm hug. 


"Don't you worry my friend," I whisper. "Your prized possessions are safe with me.
I'll take care of them for you."

***

If you enjoyed your visit, I hope you'll follow me by email.
Just subscribe (it's FREE) in the upper right column of this page.
Thank you!

***

Linking with:
DwellingsBetween Naps on the PorchCoastal CharmCedar Hill FarmhouseA Stroll Thru Life,
Savvy Southern StyleA Delightsome LifeHave a Daily Cup of Mrs. OlsonThe Vintage Nest,
Reinvented CollectionAdirondack Girl at HeartShabby Art BoutiqueFrench Country Cottage

27 comments:

  1. Oh Pat, that is so sweet. So glad you shared that with us. I too got a whole stack of those magazines for free at a sale this Summer, same years that you have and I have finally had the time to look through them. Getting ready to look thru another here in a minute. I am only keeping the one's that I really like and then selling the rest on Ebay. My favorite are the 90's issues of Victorian Homes and Victorian Decorating and Lifestyle magazines, so they take up most of the room in my secretary bookcase. So that is why I am not keeping all of the Victoria magazines.
    Merry Christmas!
    Gina

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pat, this is my most favorite of your writings. I too when acquiring treasures think of the stories they might tell.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad you were able to find the old "Victoria" magazines. I have some ,too. Enjoy reading them. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a 2017 full of blessings.
    Marilyn and family

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have some of those Victoria magazines as well, and almost all the books from the days when they published decorating books. I do like looking through them. I have often done the same wondering about the previous owners of our antiques, most of which are from the 1800s. I have glassware that is older than I am by a long shot, LOL!! Thank you for a most thought provoking post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is sweet. I feel very connected when I buy things from others' estates and in antique stores when they are noted as to ownership. That's why I love adding what info I have on sales tickets in our booth offerings.
    Have a very Merry Christmas, Pat.
    Rita C at Panoply

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love this post. Weekly my hubby and I enjoy a tour around our big city going to estate sales. So much so, that the estate sale company employees now recognize us and know the types of things we want to buy, and will point us to their locations in the house :~)

    I often find myself thinking and commenting to my hubby about the dear people who lived and loved in that place. It is amazing how much of who the person was and their interests remain. I treasure all the little additions I add to my home from theirs.
    Thank for reminding us of the need to remember and cherish.
    Kath

    ReplyDelete
  7. I buy old quilt tops that were pieced but never made into a quilt. I contemplate the women who made them and wonder why they were never finished: life got busy, babies were born, money got tight, illness befell, or perhaps she passed away. I wash the tops, make needed repairs, and then lovingly finish them into beautiful quilts. With the last stitch I always say, "Rest now. I finished it for you. It's done."

    ReplyDelete
  8. "thank you on the wind with a warm hug" - what a lovely sentiment!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a great post. I have been known to buy something that I really don't need because I feel bad that something of beauty that was perhaps once loved has been discarded. I recently found four teacups and saucers at Goodwill that are a match to the floral ones pictured above. I too have a stack of Victoria magazines that I purchased new, read and then saved. I haven't looked at them in years but now I might drag them out and enjoy them again.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the story of your Victoria magazine purchase. It will make me stop and think, when I purchase something special from a thrift store.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a lovely idea for a post! You are a kind soul.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a sweet post. Those magazines will have a lovely "second life" with you as you honor the woman who enjoyed them previously :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes, a very sweet, thoughtful, warm and fuzzy, feel good post.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I feel that same way about estate sales. Some people say they make them sad. I know that when I am gone that my kids could not possibly use all that I have. I told them that if someone comes in and buys something that makes them happy then that's just fine by me! I love the treasures I buy and often imagine what the previous owner might have been like. I still love and buy magazines. I smiled at the torn out pages. I have a binder that I use to pull out pages that I wanted to save. I couldn't possible save every magazine I've ever gotten. Although I do have a lot of my Victorias. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  15. Luv Victoria! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Pat, just hopping by to let you know that you will be featured at SYC this week.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  17. Such a sweet and thoughtful post, Pat :) Thanks so much for linking it up with Vintage Charm--

    ReplyDelete
  18. Pat, I'm a long time fan of Victoria Magazine. I've kept all my past issues. Like you, I like to read these beautiful issues.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sarah, Occasionally I'll tear a page out of a magazine if that's all I want to keep but usually I just keep the whole thing. After some time passes, it's almost like reading a new magazine again! Happy New Year.

      Delete
  19. I love my old Victoria magazines so much that I "wallpapered" my little shed with my favorite pictures from the magazine. If you like you can see my tiny tea parlor on my blog Twocottagesandtea.blogspot.com. Your post I so special!
    ...Nancy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Nancy. Glad you enjoyed my post. Your shed sounds charming. I'll have to check it out. Happy New Year, Pat

      Delete
  20. I love my old Victoria magazines so much that I "wallpapered" my little shed with my favorite pictures from the magazine. If you like you can see my tiny tea parlor on my blog Twocottagesandtea.blogspot.com. Your post I so special!
    ...Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  21. Pat,
    Victoria is my all-time most favorite magazine. I began buying it when it first came out, then started a subscription. I felt like I had lost a good friend when it went out of publication around 2001-2. I searched online for any missing months and think I have a complete collection now, but may be missing one, of the original publication. While I enjoy looking at the current publication, it is not the same as the original. Occasionally, I will pull out some of the old issues and re-read them, especially the issues devoted to France.

    Judith

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Judith! Lucky you to have a complete collection of the original magazine. My favorites are the issues about France too. The photography was incredible, especially the fashion pieces. Thank you for taking some time to comment; I enjoyed hearing from you. Pat

      Delete