I did not know my
mother’s father very well. The first time I met him was in 1966. My mom and dad
drove across the country, from the East coast to California to visit her family. It was the
first time she had seen them in 11 years.
It was an emotional time. Lots of hugs, kisses and tears. By trade my
grandpa was an optician. He didn’t give vision tests. He fit frames, eyeglass
lenses, contact lenses using the prescriptions of optometrists or ophthalmologists. Having never been exposed to such a thing. I
found it fascinating. Only one of my friends wore glasses and nobody else I
knew did. I learned a lot from my
grandpa, that week there. The knowledge proved quite useful, years later, when
my eyesight began to fail me and I needed a prescription to see better. And a pair of glasses to do it. Fast forward to now. I recently got a new pair
of glasses. In my lifetime I’ve had about 18 pairs??? When you buy them, as a
bonus they give you a complimentary case to put the new glasses in. But those
cases tend to be big, gaudy with atrocious colors. Not the least bit stylish. So I went on a mission to find a case more to
my liking with a sleeker footprint. Something with a vintage old fashioned
flare. I searched high and low. Came up
with nothing. My grandpa passed years ago so I couldn’t go through his
inventory. But I was convinced he’d have something to fit my needs. I moped
around the house for a couple days upset about it. But I focused my attention
on something else, instead. Cleaning out a shelf in my closet. Mostly junk. But
one thing caught my eye. An old optical box from which my grandpa dispensed the
lenses. I opened it and inside was a golden velour eyeglass case . Satin lining
and a snap closure.
My fingertips gently caressed the case. It was very, very
old. But in pristine condition. Just what I was looking for. Imagine that? A
part of my grandpa’s history, in my hands.
I didn’t even know I had it. Life is strange with it’s twists and turns.
Sometimes the unexpected becomes the most precious gift. This vintage case, is
always on my nightstand and my glasses are protected because I know my grandpa
is watching over me. And that fills me with great joy.
You can READ me. I am an open book. Just endless pages of musing. And lots of photographs too. They are about life's experiences.
9 comments:
How wonderful you found the case. If I had seen that, I would think it was a cigarette case! It is nice to hold a piece of family history.
serendipity!
you know maybe you are right??? perhaps it is an old cigarette case??? I just assumed it was an eyeglass case because it was in the optical box and because my mom had a similar one she used for her glasses when i was growing up. and it was that one i was trying to replicate.
I was thinking it was a cigarette case, too. But by why not, eyeglasses? I love the family connection!
Well I'm all about repurposing clothing aznd things. So if it was a cigarette case, it is now the keeper of my eyeglasses at night. a grand transformation.
How wonderful that you food that case, just when you needed it. they don't make them like that anymore. We used to see them all the time. Old ways were often the best. Glad you got to meet your grandfather. living so far away is hard. I have some grandchildren that live far away like that and I'll probably never get to know them much at all.
What an interesting story. Thanks for sharing the memories. I seriously doubt that your "discovery" is a cigarette case. It definitely has the look of old optical cases that I've seen.
What a wonderful connection to your grandfather and how fortunate that you found a case that reminds you of him. I read the previous comments about whether its former use was as a cigarette vs. eyeglass case and in the end, past use doesn't matter, the present does and it suits you well and brings back mmories.
I don't know how I missed this one, but I finally got to enjoy it and got an education. Thanks, Life is good and the visit a pleasure.
Sherry & jack, getting ready....
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