From Mama Talks
When I was a little girl I loved to visit my Oma (grandmother in
German). Her carefully placed accent pieces found a new use as my
toys. My favorites were two small, hand-carved ebony elephants. They
were just the right size for my small hands, and they had inlaid eyes
and tiny ivory tusks. One of them was missing a tusk, but it still was
perfect in my eyes. I had these elephants walk all over Oma’s furniture
– pretending I was accompanying them on exciting adventures -- climbing
steep mountains (the backrests of sofa and armchairs), or crossing the
savannah (Oma’s parlor) in search of food. They often came to rest at
the edge of the jungle, feeding on the leaves of Oma’s plants.
As
I grew older, I had it settled in my mind that after Grandmother’s
passing, I would inherit those elephants as a treasured memento of my
beloved Oma and my childhood. Unfortunately Oma developed Alzheimer’s
dementia during her final years, and nobody knows what happened to the
elephants. I felt really silly that even years later, I would still
think about those elephants and how much it would have meant to me to
have them.
Well, I did go on some exciting adventures though –
climbed a few mountains and also crossed some savannahs in the American
Southwest! One day, when browsing a small antique store in Central
Texas, my heart skipped a beat -- there it was: a small carved ebony
elephant. When I picked it up, I noticed that one of its ivory tusks
was broken off. To me it was a sign – this was even better than if it
had been in perfect shape. Of course I bought it – and now it has a
special place on my dresser. It still makes me smile every time I look
at it …
Do you have any treasured mementos that occupy a special place in your home?
