Taking comfort from a coat.

It's a strange thing. My best friend Rex died three weeks ago. I cleaned out his place and gave his clothes and family pictures to his son. But I kept one coat. I take comfort wearing it some how just knowing that he used to wear it and it is a link to him. Does anyone else have a hand me down that means something to them?

Before his passing, my Dad gave me his father's old railroad pocket watch that was made in the late 1800's. It doesn't work, and has a cracked porceline (sp) face, but it is something that brings back faint memories of my grandfather that passed away when I was three years old. Along with it a watch (hair) fob that was custom made for my grandmother that she gave to grandpa as a gift for his watch. This fob was made with gold end pieces and attchments, and grandma's braided auburn hair. It also has a tiny picture locket attached with her picture in it taken when she was quite young. These two items are now arranged and displayed in a glass globe in a display case in our living room. Definately something I plan on passing on the my son Richard Jr. along with some history about what I remember of them both.

I have my mother's wedding ring, she passed away from cancer when I was barely 2. She was such a tiny thing, that ring won't even fit on my pinky finger. I also had my father's gold pocket watch given to him by my mother, but I passed that down to my son to remember him by.

I guess this is an after thought, but I am living in the house that I grew up in. My parents bought this house for $6,500.00 in 1948. I was away in the Marines for 12 years and moved back to house sit in 1981 and eventually bought the house from my parents. I have lived here almost 49 years now. You talk about a lot of good old memories.