"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Thursday, April 21, 2011

"Before I Kick The Bucket"

"Before I kick the bucket", my husband's mother said as she was handing out dolls to our granddaughters, her great-granddaughters.
"Before I kick the bucket I want to give away my dolls to my great- granddaughters." She has a lot of great-granddaughters , we are the grandparents of only 6 of her great-granddaughters. She has a lot of dolls too, so each great-granddaughter will be given a special doll chosen just for them. Each doll has a name, and Great-Grandma took time to talk to each little girl about the doll. My husband's mother has collected these dolls over many years and had them on display in a special cabinet in the basement. The dolls are very important to her. There have been a few times over the years we have had scares regarding my mother-in-law's health and on one occasion grown children and grandchildren rushed back to Washington from all parts of the U.S. to visit her in the hospital after being told she was "not going to make it" after a stroke. Well, the doctors were wrong, and often I tell my husband his mother is going to outlive us. It seems she has chosen to give her prized and beloved dolls to her great-granddaughters now, while she can choose just the right little girl for each doll. We know she has given the little girls something precious. The great-granddaughters know this too, because she handed the dolls to each of them after beginning with the words "before I kick the bucket". The day after the granddaughters received their dolls they had a doll tea party, hosted by our daughters' daughters. Click here* to view her blog post about it. "Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations are we making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth , which cannot be recycled or reclaimed is our waste of the time God has given us each day." Billy Graham

15 comments:

Timi said...

It's such a lovely post,Kathy!!!
Your husband's mother is sooo lovely to give these dolls to her great-granddaughters! Look at their faces! They are so happy :o)! It was a very nice gift indeed!
Your granddaughters are wondrful, Kathy, you are blessed!

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

This is so sweet...and your BG quote so true. My DD has a doll her great aunt gave here many years ago. Even as a little girl she knew it was special because it was given by someone special. It makes me smile when I see it on a shelf in my own granddaughters room now.

Debbie said...

My kids paternal grandma bought many porcelein dolls though magazines and left them to my daughters. Many are exquisite and so beautiful. I never had dolls like that! They enjoyed them over the years and now they are packed away for the next generation. Before I kick the bucket, I hope to see some little girl's eyes get big and round when they see these dolls!

Deanna said...

Hi Kathy,
May you have a sweet Easter.

What a tremendous treat for your Granddaughters. Very nice gesture! Something the girls will remember for a long time.

Billy's Quote is such a good one.
God bless,
d

Susie said...

Sweet post Kathy! Those girls are very lucky to receive them personally from the great grandma. What a wonderful gift!

Connie said...

Such precious treasures! How wonderful that she passed them on. :)

LindaSue said...

such a blessing for the granddaughters to have intimate gifts from your MIL - just very special

goatpod2 said...

How sweet and precious! Enjoyed this post very much. Love Billy Graham's quote too, I had the privilege of seeing him in person, it has been years with our old church. My blog is private right now but if you'd like to read it, drop me a line at: goatpod2 at yahoo dot com (leave the spaces out though).

Blessings,

Amy

PeregrineBlue said...

love all those darling faces with their unique-hand-picked-for-them dolls.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

The best part of having "stuff" is passing it along to folks in the here and now. To pass it along with stories is even better! Hurrah for your MIL and for your grands; they are all blessed, Kathy.

Eggs In My Pocket said...

How sweet and precious! Such a generous and thoughtful thing for her to do. These little girls will have wonderful memories because of this! Have a happy Easter! blessings,Kathleen

Concetta said...

What a beautiful post! There is nothing greater than the love and legacy of a grandparent - they are so precious and a blessing beyond measure. Thank you for sharing this wonderful lady with all of us today. Happy Easter dear friend!
<><
Concetta

Dolores said...

I'm a big believer in giving items away before I 'kick the bucket'....I want to enjoy the happiness of them receiving the gift. Your MIL's gesture is so sweet ....I bet she was as happy as the girls!!!

It's so wonderful that your MIL had enough dolls for all the girls.
I love all the photos.... the girls are so precious, and look so happy.

Sure enjoyed this post.....your family makes me smile.
A blessed Easter to you and your family.
Hugs

A. Joy said...

Great photos and great way to tell about it! It has been 8 years now since Grandma had that stroke! Amazing.

Nancy M. said...

Aww, that is so sweet! What a wonderful memory to give her granddaughters!