Momma brought it home

[bdGreen]

Twenty-two years ago, it was Christmas tradition, on my wife's side of the family, to draw names for gift exchange.

The rules of the game that year stipulated that you had to make 'whatever' by hand.

My wife drew her sister's husband's name. That would be Dan.

What to do, what to do?

Once again, I came to the rescue.

I had some beautiful 7-ply maple stock in my shop.

With that wonderful grain and quality ply I, of course, opted to make a Tool Tote.

Brother Dan used that as it was designed. What? He used that beautiful, hand-crafted piece of art to put tools in? Oh, the humanity.

All joking aside, yes, he did.

And for that I shall be forever grateful to him for utilizing that 'tool'.

Brother Dan passed away in 2020.
A beautiful, outdoor service was held at the Veteran's cemetery a few miles east of K.C.
The military personnel and dozens of motorcycle riders were present.
It was an honorable moment for an honorable man.

He was a biker and I rode thousands of miles with him, his wife, my other brother in law and wife along with my wife.

He was a good man.

Momma, my wife, was up in the K.C. area this last week and her sister handed it to her and told her to take it home to me.

It's just a box made of wood to the rest of the world.

It's much more than that to me.

Thanx for reading this far if you made it.

bdGreen

Tap on image to enlarge.

 

[bigmtnman]

Well done sir ....in ALL regards ! Thank you for sharing your story.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Very nice. It reminds me of the carpenter's tool box my grandad had. To a wee lad it looked as big as a canoe.

 

[mh51]

A good Christmas gift for both of you! Its the memories that count.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

Beautiful work. Reminds me of my grandfather's tool box many years ago. A fine carpenter. Born in 1875 died in 1970. He was my hero.

 

[sophie]

Mighty fine box.
I bet Dan was proud of that box and enjoyed it.

 

[mckenney99]

That's a wonderful story. The treasured box now carries memories instead of tools.

 

[Krogen]

The best memories are often attached to an object that had a person's hands on it. That box had your hands on it during its making, Brother Dan had his hands on it, and now it's back in your hands. You will always think of Dan when you look at the box. You'll think of him going about his business with his tools in it. Wonderful memories. Just a box? No sir, it's far more than that.

 

[soFlaNative]

All 'round outstanding post.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have a few of that style tool boxes I use to this day. I have wooden ones and modern plastic ones. The way I used them for apartment maintenance was this: There are many little problems that reoccurs 100's of times a year, I set up a kit with the tools and parts for that problem. Example Dripping faucet. Tools Faucet handle puller, stem wrenches and #2 Phillips and straight screwdrivers. Parts: Bib screw kit, bevel and flat washer kit, O-ring kit and Delta faucet parts kit, and Moen "Cartridge" puller and replacement cartridges.

If you couldn't fix it with that kit, you were into serious plumbing! I also had a "Kit for Serious Plumbing" but he drove his own truck!

Ivan

 

[two-bit cowboy]

When I was a little guy Mom taught me when searching for a gift
always pick out something you would like to have.

 

[kmyers]

Well done and fine work. I am also a woodworker as one of my hobbies, and one of the few things I have a skill with and make things regularly for family.

 

[walkin jack]

Great story. Beautiful box. Thanks for taking the time to share that with us.

 

[robvious]

it may be sacrilege, but I would have it at family gatherings filled with utensils and napkins... as a place at the table in his memory... or bottles of whatever.. whichever is more fitting.