Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Another Special Gift

Years ago my father-in-law wrote down his autobiography while the memories were all still fresh in his mind. He told about growing up in Poland and being run out of his home by the Russians at the beginning of WWII and how he was sent to a work camp in Siberia. Later he joined the army and fought for the allied forces and it was there that he met my mother-in-law, who also was in the army. They married and relocated to England after their service ended. That is where my husband and his brother and sister were born. Later, when my husband was 5 years old they came to America on the Queen Mary and eventually settled in Chicago.

For Christmas this year, my daughter and two of her cousins published their grandfather's autobiography and presented a copy to each family member. And along with the book, they had calendars printed through the Apple website. Each month of the calendar features a collage of old family photos from my in-laws childhood, to my husband's childhood, to our weddings, and the births of my daughter and her cousins.
These were the first gifts we opened on Christmas and they were such a hit we almost didn't even get to the rest of the presents under the tree.
I knew about the calendar because my daughter had asked me for the old photo albums. However my husband and his siblings were totally blown away by the thoughtfulness of these gifts. Even my mother-in-law, who now suffers from Alzheimer's Disease, could still recall the names of many of the people in the pictures, although locations were not as clear for her. Of course when she saw the picture of her late husband, her eyes lit up and she told us he was a such good man.
And below is my dear hubby - isn't he a cutie? Love that bow-tie!

14 comments:

Babsarella said...

WOW! What an incredible gift!! Love the idea of the calendar and the book and I can only imagine how much the family appreciated the thought and effort put into this terrific gift.

Lilli in Vancouver said...

How Wonderful :) I'm thinking of doing some kind of family photo gift for my brother for his birthday in the Spring. Probably my Mom's recipes. It's the kind of project that we crafters love to do, isn't it

Lorrie said...

What a lovely gift - thoughtful on the part of the giver and meaningful to the receiver. Something to treasure!

Lorrie

Casii said...

Truly a priceless gift!

Maija said...

That is such an amazing gift! My dad's family was run out of Latvia by the Russians as well. They even had to live in German DP camps during WW2!
My dad came here when he was about 13. People of that generation, that went through such ordeals truly amaze me!

Anonymous said...

That is so wonderful! I love the idea. I'm sure those will be family treasures long after the year is over.

Becky Bunn said...

Wonderful gift. Something that will be cherished and handed down for years to come.

Anonymous said...

Such lovely gifts! I'm sure they'll be treasured family heirlooms.
Jane

Jennifer said...

That's amazing Jeanne! How sweet for you guys and what a collection of memories to have!

PJ said...

Absolutely priceless...awesome to capture and bring to life the history of the family! Thanks for sharing!

LaurieStar said...

Wow - that is really something. A lot of time must have gone into that!

The Urban Chic said...

What a memorable gift for all of you. I wouldn't have bothered with the rest of the gifts either. Now that is a true gift from the heart. Hugs, Pat

Sarah said...

What a great treasure to have!
Sarah
Vintage Lily
www.vintagelily.typepad.com

Waseem said...

lovely gift...like the collection of memories you have.


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Send Gifts To Pakistan From Australia.
Send Gifts To Pakistan From Australia.

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