Precious Memories
By RasmaSandra
@RasmaSandra (81395)
Daytona Beach, Florida
January 25, 2018 2:02pm CST
As some of you know I am in the process of getting rid of everything I can in my house in preparation for selling it. Once I am ready to return to my homeland the U.S. I don’t want to be traveling with more than three suitcases. I want to sell all of my furnishing and other items.
My late husband’s daughter Mara helps me when she can. She is busy working and taking care of her invalid grandmother. She too is having a hard time due to the fact that she has been engaged to her boyfriend for over a year now and was hoping to have her father at her wedding. So it is a happy and sad time for her and finally she has set the date for June 30.
As we go through the piles of things to sort out I am slowly creating an old-fashioned dowry for her. She now has piles of dishes, silverware and vases. He fiancé has been rolling his eyes, so she tells me but I told her he should be lucky to have a wife who will not have to purchase any essentials for a very long time.
Looking through some suitcases we discovered my mom’s treasure. Something she bought me and I wore only once. In the photo, you see my christening dress and baby shoes perfectly preserved. I was wondering why only one shoe had a shoelace but oh, well. In the far left corner is a tiny bracelet. It was interesting to see that when I was born in 1957 at the Shore Road Hospital in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York apparently little baby girls came with tiny beaded bracelets. In the middle is my last name Raisters spelled out. Of course, I will have the photo as a memory and I am leaving the christening dress for Mara when it is time for her to have a baby.
10 people like this
12 responses
@RasmaSandra (81395)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
26 Jan 18
Interesting that a christening dress is just like a wedding dress worn only once if not passed on. Now it will have another owner @DianneN
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (81395)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
26 Jan 18
They both have lots of friends and besides working on computers her future husband is also a musician with a band so they will have plenty of parties and plenty of need for the dishes and such that I give her @JudyEv
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (81395)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
26 Jan 18
@JudyEv their band travels to social functions here is Latvia playing popular Latvian standards that people enjoy dancing to. Both slow and fast music. Here is a link it is in Latvian but you can at least here one of the popular Latvian songs people enjoy singing to and dancing to . Of course this is one of the most popular singers in Latvia but I think even the kind of small bands that Mara's boyfriend plays in would do well to get some videos online.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (343086)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jan 18
@RasmaSandra What does he play? Our son is a jazz musician and plays double bass. He has toured on the continent a lot but I don't think he has been to Latvia.
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
26 Jan 18
must be hard to part with so much - hope the move goes smoothly for you @celticeagle
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (81395)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
26 Jan 18
You got the names a bit mixed up here @arthurchappell personally things are just things and memories remain anyway and those I will take away with me.
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
29 Jan 18
@RasmaSandra doh, sorry about the names
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (81395)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
29 Jan 18
@arthurchappell no worries.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
25 Jan 18
I am sure Mara will treasure the dress.
2 people like this
@m_audrey6788 (58472)
• Germany
25 Jan 18
That`s nice! keeping the dress with a precious memories 
it still looks good and you can buy a new shoe laces for that
it still looks good and you can buy a new shoe laces for that 1 person likes this
@andriaperry (117373)
• Anniston, Alabama
26 Jan 18
Awwww! That is adorable. If you have things you want to keep, why not shop them here before you arrive?
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
26 Jan 18
I commend you for getting rid of things. It's a task some people can't seem to do. I hope you husbands daughter is doing alright, it sounds like there is a lot of work on her plate. I like the old fashioned dowry. My parents have done that for me - even though I didn't get married - it sure came in handy when I moved out on my own.
It is precious that you would give the dress to her. It can be used for another baby and it looks great!
All the bes ton your move
1 person likes this
@BearArtistLady (6036)
• United States
3 Mar 18
I had a bracelet like yours when I came out of the hospital. Mine had to be shortened as my full last name would have made the necklace out of the bracelet! Mom carefully preserved my baby shoes and gave them to me when I moved back in with her in 1983. I noticed the same thing, it was missing one lace. Mom gave my christening dress and hat to one of my father's relatives. That's the way they were. I'm eyeing a couple antique christening dresses at the antique shop I work at. I'm going to buy them one at a time, I use them in my business. I design and make teddy bears and have made many wearing clients christening gowns. They turn out beautiful!
When I moved back to California I did the same thing. I only moved with three suitcases, my daughter and a Siamese cat. (Even though she was tranquilized she hollered through the whole flight. She was only quiet when the plane landed). It made traveling and moving much easier, especially since I had broken my ankle a few days before we were to leave. Ahhh, moving can be so much "fun".
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (81395)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
5 Mar 18
@BeautifulArtistLady Well that moving sounds like it sure was hectic but hey, I can top you. This summer I am hoping to move back to my homeland the U.S. along with my cat Sid. That means 12 hour flight time. I wonder how you move a cat from one country to the next.
