Jun
26
2020
The Mirror
Posted in Family Life 4 Comments
Many years ago, a Little House On The Prairie episode touched my heart.
I remember it well.
Perhaps it was because it had to do with Pa’s woodworking.
Perhaps it was because it reminded me of my husband.
The episode began with a modern day couple stopping at an antique auction.
The wife sees a table she particularly loves.
She notices the markings etched into the wood.
She wonders about the man who made the table.
I remember my throat tightening as I watched the story.
Even then, I fast forwarded to my own husband.
He had made each of our children things that he hoped they would pass to their children.
Heirlooms, he would say.
Somehow that word takes on more meaning the older we become.
Somehow knowing that the beautiful pieces he made will outlast us, is humbling.
My children have learned to appreciate his talent.
They have been the recipients of his time and his creativity.
I have learned that I can never say anything that remotely resembles a wish.
It gets filed away.
It gets him thinking.
It makes him search for existing plans or design plans of his own.
It was an innocent remark.
He had finished my walnut tables that are in the living room.
He loved making them out of 100-year-old wood from our town.
He was eager to begin another project.
I happened to mention something I always wanted.
It was not a necessity.
It was merely a, this would be nice, kind of thing.
I have learned that, this would be nice, becomes a reality pretty quickly.
What should I build next? He asked me after the tables were complete.
I could tell that he was eager to use some of his new equipment in his shop.
There is something I always wanted to have?, I mentioned.
A Cheval mirror, I told him.
He was not sure what I meant.
I googled some images to show him.
After seeing them, he recognized it.
He just never knew what it was called.
A Cheval mirror allows you to see yourself from top to bottom.
The large mirror is usually on a stand.
The mirror can be tilted so that no matter your height, you can get a full view.
I always thought they were a lovely addition to a bedroom.
Had I had a Cheval mirror four years ago, I can imagine my daughter standing in front of it.
I can imagine her in her wedding dress.
I can imagine standing beside her on that day as I helped her get dressed.
We did stand in front of a mirror like that, but it was at the venue where her reception was held.
I could see my husband’s mind working.
Within hours, he had searched and found plans to make me a Cheval mirror.
He knows that I like country, Shaker style furniture.
He passed over ornate mirrors for simpler designs.
One in particular caught my eye.
That’s the one! I said.
It was a simple design.
He decided to make the mirror out of cherry wood from our town.
Every weekend he worked on it.
Even some evenings he would go into his shop and do some work.
He would show me the mirror as he went along.
He had the mirror itself made at a local glass shop to fit the design perfectly.
As it got closer to the end, I wanted to show our children the progress.
Wait a little longer so they can get the full effect, he said.
Finally, it was the day.
He carried the mirror up to our bedroom in sections, since it is quite heavy.
Once it was in place in the corner, he called me upstairs.
There it was, exactly as I imagined.
An heirloom, I thought but said the word out loud.
It was a beautiful gift that he actually made for my birthday next month.
The Little House On The Prairie episode came to mind.
After the woman found the table and successfully bid on it, she wondered.
I wish I knew the story of the man who made this table, she said to her husband.
The story was told in flashback, so we all could see how and why Pa made the lovely table.
My husband burned his initials and the year, 2020, on the bottom corner.
Deciding that this was to be an heirloom, he took one step more.
He drafted a letter, which he placed in a folder.
He placed the folder on top of the special brown paper that goes on top of the mirror’s back.
The mirror has a silver backing, which can deteriorate over time.
The simple brown paper, covering the back of the mirror, will protect it for generations.
The folder is laying on top of the brown paper.
Then, my husband put the wood on the back, keeping the letter safe for years to come.
Hopefully, this mirror will always be in our family.
The history is there for all to read.
The man who made the mirror signed the letter.
The letter itself is dated, noting that the mirror was a birthday present for his wife.
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
My throat might have tightened just a bit.
The mirror will outlast us.
It is an heirloom passed down.
It is a tangible labor of love.
Your husband is truly an artist. Mirror is beautiful. Love you and your Whispers articles. Looking forward to Bible study.
Oh, Barb, thank you!
He is!
How I miss you! I miss studying the Word with you and the other women.
Blessings and JOY, friend.
Gina
Beautiful! You have a very creative family! It’s so sad that many people of the younger generations don;t appreciate things that we call heirlooms–they are missing out on history. I’m sure your children are not like that. Blessings to you all.
Thank you, Sue!
We all respect and cherish history.
Sue,
My oldest son and my son-in-love have a passion for history.
I learn much from each of them.
We all need the connection to our past so that we learn to not make the same mistakes.
Blessings,
Gina