A few months ago, my Grandma Bender gave me a hand mirror. The beautiful antique was not just an ordinary gift: it belonged to her mother, my Great-grandmother Miller. The mirror with the faded blue handle is almost 100 years old and was purchased in the 1920’s, when great-grandma turned 16. The glass looks old and some metal parts are rusty but wow, what a unique piece of family history to own.

 

No one uses hand mirrors anymore, especially fancy ones with some weight to them. I felt like I was the older Rose in Titanic as I peered into it. After I got over comparing the special moment to a movie, I started thinking about heirlooms. 

 

On my 16th birthday I got a magazine subscription and jumper cables (which have actually proven to be very useful-they are still in the trunk of my car almost 10 years later). Today my most prized possessions are my iPod touch and my big TV I won at a company holiday party. The few pieces of jewelery I own are from the mall and my furniture consists of a broken futon and some cheap bookshelf’s rescued from the curb. I doubt my future great-granddaughter will be interested in these types of antiques.

 

Is the time-honored tradition of passing down heirlooms going to be lost on the “digital generation?” Will I ever own anything that is special enough to pass onto future generations? On a slightly different topic, now that no one has physical photo albums anymore will my great-granddaughter check out my Facebook profile to see what old granny was like in her younger years?

 

Either way, if 2065 rolls around and my great-granddaughter ends up with my beloved cheesehead earrings I hope she likes them as much as I do now.