THE COOKIE JAR

It's me, again, Joanne Braman-Palmer. I thought I'd share a "bittersweet" story with you that Michael shared with me last night after he gave the news of the soon-to-be grandchildren.

Michael asked me if I remembered the Donald Duck cookie jar that we had when we were kids. At first I didn't remember. But then he said my mother kept it on top of the refrigerator and suddenly it came back to memory. He told me he has the cookie jar and still looks at it everyday and then he asked me if I knew the story of the cookie jar. I replied I did not. So here's the story.

Apparently after Michael was born my parents gave his mother and father the cookie jar. When his father died, his mother (Aunt Dottie) gave the cookie jar back to my mother and felt she should have it back so my mother had a piece of Uncle Ray. My mother took it back and kept it on top of our refrigerator. Later in the years, when Michael grew up, my mother gave it to Michael and told him about the cookie jar and said she wanted him to have it. Michael still cherishes that cookie jar and said he thinks of my mom when he looks at it. He said he wanted me to know it's still there and to tell mom.

I never knew this story and thought about it all day today and tried to remember the last time I ever laid eyes on that cookie jar and for the life of me, I don't remember it ever being gone from our house. But now that he told me the story, I thought it was bittersweet and endearing and just so neat that such a simple little thing as a cookie jar in our house had such a story and meaning and still lives on. Now the memory of that cookie jar has taken on a whole new memory and meaning.

I was wondering if anyone else has a story of an item they have from an aunt or uncle, cousin or sibling, parent or grandparent that they can share with us. That simple Donald Duck cookie jar now has such meaning - who knew? Take care - Joanne