Keepsakes

Familiar stories about valuable stuff: A shiny box with some odd coins and paper money from Japan. And that afghan on the back of the couch? When we look at the box, we see a small boy looking through the money in Grandpa Harold's "money box," the boy grown now with children of his own. The afghan shows a young woman wondering about the hours Dottie, her grandma, spent to make this "handi-work." Wondering what inspired the time and skill to produce this intricate pattern.
The true value of these, and a few other items, lies in the stories they bring back, memories about moments that shaped us.
They are the "keepsakes" that embody those memories.
Dick Friedrich, who wrote these stories of his parents for Keepsakes, taught English for years in Wisconsin, Missouri, and New York. He encouraged students to find their own stories. And write them.
In this book, he links mementos of his parents, Harold and Dottie, to tell their stories.
For his children: An afghan Dottie, their grandma, crocheted in the early 30s; a bunch of coins his father collected- from his grocery stand under the El in Chicago and on through Tokyo at the end of The War; a rocking chair Dottie needed because she was about to become a first time grandma; and a watch passed from Harold's father, Alois, through Harold to his son, their dad, the author of this book.
Keepsakes, about the author's parents, tells their stories. In telling their story, he tells his own.
This book explores the way we remember and attach importance to otherwise mundane items. Each of the items highlighted in the book has some monetary value--perhaps not much--but each item was valued by its original owner and preserved as a marker of a time or an event.
As author and co-author of four college textbooks, Friedrich has explored his own lessons in finding a subject. Find what's important to you.