Cleaning up pays......OFF!

I'm not keeping you guys in suspense any longer. My cable internet connection went out yesterday or I would have posted sooner. GRRRR.... It's bad to depend on something like that, isn't it?

Well, I've been cleaning up as I much as I have time for since I was humiliated when the decorator came in and went through my closets. I hadn't realized how much junk I have. I have been pretty relentless in tossing that junk too.

Anyhow, I found a small cedar box in one of my boxes. Kneeling, I reflected on how I had come to have it. I remembered that as a child my parents had taken me to North Carolina along with my grandparents to see a show called "Unto These Hills." The show was cancelled due to a tremendous thunderstorm. On the way out of town, we stopped at a gift shop where my grandfather had me "pick out" a present. I picked this cedar box. At the time, I remember him asking me why I chose it, and I told him that it reminded me of my grandmother and him because they had cedar chests in several places in their house.

It had been a long time since I had seen it. I opened it to smell inside......I love the smell of cedar and nestled in the tiny chest were cotton balls. I lifted the cotton balls off and found all of these old coins inside. That's when I remembered. My granddaddy had called me into his room, opened a drawer and filled my box with all these old coins. He said, "Now, there is something to fill your little hope chest."

I didn't even remember the chest or the coins. As I took them out and looked at them, I didn't even recognize them at all! I called the attorney, who has become one of my best friends, and he had me bring them over. His eyes widened (apparently he is a big coin collector - due to his history as an Eagle Scout and working on the coin badge) and I thought he was going to pass out as he leaned back in his chair. Apparently, these coins are worth THOUSANDS or even more a piece; and I have a whole "tiny hope chest" full of them!

My attorney insisted on driving me himself, in of course, his black Lexus, sunroof, XM radio, etc. etc. straight to the bank. My, those cars do have a nice ride. We went to my safety deposit box and immediately deposited them for safekeeping. He went on and on about getting them insured, but I was barely paying attention. My thoughts kept drifting back to my grandfather. Did he know what those coins were worth? And if so, why did I get them? I certainly wasn't his favorite. My other cousins loved riding in his truck, picking butterbeans and all that. I stayed back at the house with my grandmother, playing duets on the piano and organ, singing, and following her all around as she supervised the house. I was my grandmother's baby. What made him do it?