A Whisper I Keep Hearing

If you take a moment and you close your eyes can you remember? Our childhood memories are something that can comfort us or crush us. Those memories are who we are, what we have become and how we deal with our lives as adults. I have such fond memories of my Mamaw’s house. I always looked forward to spending the summers with her and my Papaw. You always woke up to fresh cooked breakfast, a full day of fun, mostly outside and the day ended with a great dinner. Bed time was full of stories and tickling of our feet. She would brush my hair and brayed it back so not to tangle. She would always whisper just before I fell asleep “you are something special Tonya, yes you are and don’t ever forget that”. I never really thought about those words until lately as I put my journey down on paper. Being special didn’t mean I would go out in life and be famous. What I have discovered is that all my trials and journeys the good and bad would make my life something special to adore. I do adore my life and how far I’ve come. I adore the darkest places I’ve been in because in those times I built character. I adore the blessed times because in those times I learned to be humble. In my life I’ve had people who were dark shadows and people who were shinning lights. All of these people, trials and journeys have made me the person I am today. I am a person that knows she is blessed without a shadow of a doubt.

Many years ago my grandmother passed and just a short time later my grandfather passed. The items in their home were passed on. I didn’t really think about things they had as far as furniture. I did get a pewter tea pitcher and a stained table-cloth. Every Sunday she made ice tea in that pitcher and the stains on that table-cloth were from years of family meals. Looking back now I wish I would have ask for some of her furniture. I wish I had things to pass on to my grandchildren. Maybe deep down that is why I love restoring old furniture. I love sending the past into the future with more years to live.

I pick up furniture all the time and shop for old has been furniture as well. I love old furniture, it has character and is built strong with quality. Much like the furniture that was in my Mamaw’s home. Most of the furniture I restore is done in dark and dated stains. It is scratched and discolored with nicks. These pieces from the past are strong and most of the time don’t need much if any repairs. Recently I purchased a coffee table that most people were walking by. It was stained dark with scratches and nicked. The shape is different from anything you are seeing out there in the decorating world these days. It had character and quality. I purchased it on the last day of the sale in the last few hours so the price was a steal. It was hard to see in the original form but there was an inlay of some beautiful wood. As I sanded the top it popped through. I painted the bottom of the table in Pure White by Chalk Country and the top I stained with dark walnut and then sanded it. By sanding after I stained it pulled back more of the stain to let the wood grains show through. Finished off with Defender to seal it and protect it. Taking things that seemed lost in the past and restoring them to be in todays way of living is so rewarding. I would kinda like to think this was the special my Mamaw was whispering about.