Tucked behind one of the blue sofas in our living room is one of my priceless treasures-an old seaman's chest. This antique was a gift to me from my mom and daddy when I was about 12 years old. I think it was one of those off-the-cuff decisions made because they somehow ended up it and I really wanted it. I think my parents would have felt like my Hope Chest was nicer if I had wanted one of the beautiful brand new cedar chests we carried in our family furniture business. For some reason I took a hankering to this old chest and had my heart set on it. Once they said, "Okay," to what I imagine was endless pestering, I took this old chest under my wing and carefully arranged both things I had to put in it.

Over time, my collection grew and I cherished putting things in my chest. I used my Hope Chest a little differently than most people think of them. I remember the yard sale Mama had one year to help make money for La Leche League. As I helped her prepare for the yard sale I am sure she wished I would stop.

You see, as fast as she brought things out to sell, I took them in. Especially the little baby clothes. I rescued these outfits that I thought were so sweet. Each one got a plastic bag along with its own label bearing the name of the child who wore it most or who received it as a baby gift. Years later, as a young woman I'll never forget pulling these family treasures out of my chest only to hear my mother say, "That was Mandy's dress. You better give it to her," or, "I remember Aunt Ginger gave that to me for a gift when Carisa was born. Let's give it to her." Oh, the injustice of it all! Here I was the knight in shining armor of the situation getting no credit and having to surrender some of the spoils! Truly though, mom and I were both happy to share. I know she is now glad we still have them even though I can almost remember her exasperation with me during that yard sale.

Opening the lid to my chest another thing you would find was a piece of wood I carved in the shape of a dinner knife. It was also enclosed in a plastic sandwich bag, nicely labeled with my best adolescent penmanship. It said something like; "I made this for Maa (my great grandma) to open letters with." Years later when Maa died, I asked for it from her things.

For me a Hope Chest symbolized my hopes and dreams of wanting to get married and be a mother. Becoming a wife and mother was my ultimate dream and used to be commonly looked upon as the greatest achievement a female could attain. Staying at home and managing the household, being a help to her husband any way she could, raising godly children, and being the backbone of the family, was what young women were raised to be and do.

By the time I was a young woman, having these as your life goals was already becoming frowned upon. Society (Christian and secular) thought and taught that you were wiser if you made plans for a career. At the very least, you should plan how you could support yourself if you ever needed to. As a result, filling my Hope Chest was not something I shared about openly with my friends. Nonetheless, I enjoyed watching my collection grow.

HOPE CHESTS YESTERYEAR

The tradition behind Hope Chests is older than I can trace. In Biblical times the groom paid a "bride price" And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her." Genesis 29:18-20

Some time in history the tradition changed and instead of the husband-to-be paying a bride price, brides came with dowries of various sizes depending upon her family's wealth.

In the centuries after 1000 A.D. references can be found that show the bride's family was no longer compensated in exchange for their daughter, but that the bride took with her a "dowry" of either money, material possessions or land...or a combination of the three. This was the common tradition for the more wealthy in society, especially for royalty.

Queen Isabella of gave up her daughter Catalina in 1499 when Catalina and Arthur (both 13 years old) were married by proxy:

"Henry VII was still eager for the betrothal of his son and heir, Arthur, to Catalina. The dowry was finally agreed upon: 200,000 crowns, half of which would be paid on the wedding day, 50,000 to be paid six months later and 50,000 within a year, the latter payment made up of 15,000 in cash and jewels and the remainder in plate valued at 35,000 which Catalina was to bring with her."

Now it is easy to unravel the rest of the story. In Early American history you find them called Hope Chests and young girls started theirs when they were in their teen years. These are the years young girls begin to dream about their futures and 'hope' for love and security.

For various reasons, sometimes a woman could not find a suitable husband. Her dowry could be used as an enticement to get a man to marry her. A dowry turned into the custom of a Hope Chest, when young ladies and their families grasped that the amount of money, gold, servants, bolts of cloth, jewels, clothing, spices, animals, and property had a direct impact on the husband that asked for the maiden's hand, the Hope Chest began to contain some very nice things.

HOPE CHESTS TODAY

Hope Chests became symbolic of a parents' love for their daughter for rich and poor alike. Now young ladies began to prepare for their futures by setting aside things like linens, quilts, pillows, blankets, baby blankets, clothes, and diapers, utensils, pots and pans, herb and flower seeds, and sewing and other homemaking supplies. Family treasures that were handed down from mother to daughter like a bridal veil or dress, pieces of jewelry, or the family Bible would be sequestered away here. As the young lady practiced her handwork the pieces would pile up of hemmed or even embroidered sheets, quilt tops, table doilies, braided rugs, candlesticks, etc. Each Hope Chest was unique and what it housed varied according to the taste and wealth of the owner.

A Hope Chest could be a combination one like mine was, filled with miscellaneous personal treasures, A combination one could hold things gathered from family members along with their special memories (be sure and record any history or anecdotes) as well as items bought and set aside. A Hope Chest is also a good place to store family photographs and albums for safe keeping. Things that you want your child to have as they leave your home and begin one of their own.

It is never too late to start on a Hope Chest for someone. It doesn't matter whether she is a child, teenager, a young lady out on her own, a young lady living at home, or even if she is married with little ones of her own! A Hope Chest is a charming gift any time. You can even bless your Mother, Grandmother, or Great-Grandmother with a Hope Chest. Right now begin setting aside special items and you are creating a Hope Chest.

A Hope Chest is just a wood (usually cedar) chest, a closet, or even a shoebox full of items that have been collected over time. Traditionally they held handmade things being set aside for a new home like carefully embroidered linens or crocheted dresser scarves. Any homemaking or parenting items collected for future use. Today a Hope Chest might hold a set of glasses, dishes, or towels. What you place in your daughter's Hope Chest is up to you and your daughter but handmade items are the most meaningful.

HOPE CHESTS TOMORROW

Now, think about your daughter as she opens her Hope Chest someday to begin setting these things into place in her first home. Doesn't that just make you tear up? So special! I want my girls to have dreams like mine. I hope they want to marry and have families much more than they desire to have a career. One way to foster that dream with them is to start a Hope Chest. One thing I have done is buy each of the girls a teacup and saucer each birthday. Dessaly's are footed teacups, Kiley's are predominately pink, and Haley's are blue and white patterns. When they leave home someday they will have sets of antique teacups to decorate with or serve tea to friends in.

Another tradition we continue is one that my mama and daddy did for us. We buy each of the children a Christmas ornament every year. It is always something special about that year. For example, the year that Drew broke his hand with a sledge hammer he got an ornament that is a miniature hammer. Each ornament is dated and carries their name. When each child leaves home they will take their collection of ornaments, each with a memory of a unique year of their life.

I will give my girls their christening gown, baby dresses and blankets, and any other childhood mementos I have saved, like her baby book and favorite childhood storybooks for her to share with her own children. I will make sure they have some old letters and photos of their grandparents and great-grand parents on their wedding days.

I want my children to love and preserve the traditions and beliefs of my parents and grandparents. I want to make it as easy as possible for them to do so. My idea is to start my daughters out with Hope Chest items from the day she is born, filled periodically with keepsakes and treasures - items that will bring my daughter closer to her family, her ancestors, her roots, traditions, rituals, and values. I want Dessaly, Kiley, and Haley to have a sense of continuity between the generations and see her homemaking heritage in vivid detail, not a shadowy past.

Anything my daughters take with them will help make their new houses into homes. The memories she brings with her will be the start of new memories in her own family. The more you and your daughter can share the dream and the hope for her future, the more likely she will be to hold on to the dream and carry it into her adulthood.

You see, a Hope Chest is more like a treasure chest. It should be filled with things that will make her smile the rest of her life. Each thing will symbolize a poignant moment, special place, or memorable time in your child's life or of the one who gave it to her. Each object tucked inside holds something much more special than just what it is. It is the embodiment of a young girls hopes and dreams, as she waits for life to unfold. It's about seeing the future unfolding before your eyes. It's about preserving a lifetime of memories and building a family legacy -a heritage.

Just by starting today and placing special items aside you are creating a Hope Chest. Your Hope Chest may start out as a shoebox and grow into a larger roomier box. You may suddenly come across a Hope Chest or blanket chest in an antique or thrift store and find you have a gleam in your eye and a silly smile on your face when you realize what you could do with that old chest. You may ask your husband or son to make you a chest for your birthday or Christmas, or just to make one NOW.

If you have lived this long without a Hope Chest there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't have one now. They are a special link to your past, your future and something you will treasure through the years ahead. Preparing items for a Hope Chest is a wonderful way to keep a daughter busy. It helps to teach her the skills she will one day need, and encourage her to "use the skills of her hands to supply the needs of her family," both now and in the future.

Many young ladies today do not have the skills that past generations have learned, used and passed on to their children. Today's society could easily be called the "disposable" society. Items are easily gained and easily discarded. There is little pride in a job well-done or a skill learned well. Laziness and instant gratification runs rampant in our young people today. Why should anyone take the time to learn or make something from scratch when they can buy a similar item instantly is the prevailing attitude.

A book by E. Davidson, The Boy Joiner written in 1874 says it this way:

The value of a skill lies in the heart of the person who learns it. Not only is the skill a valuable inner knowledge to have on hand, but it gives an inner pride and feeling of self-worth that can not be found anywhere else. A skill, a knowledge of how to make something well, allows a person to "create." Creating gives a thrill to the heart.

Whether the creation is a simple crocheted dishcloth, a musical composition, a poem or beautiful items filling the Hope Chest...the enjoyment and happiness that fills the heart is the greatest reward. Once the skill has been learned, the ability to reproduce more for the home, her Hope Chest or to give as gifts to grandparents or others, allows the child to learn the gift of "giving from the heart," and enables her to enjoy keeping her hands busy, block by block, until the house is built, and it will be a sturdy house indeed!

One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is the inner knowledge they take with them. If I can pass along no other thought in this book, I would like to encourage mothers to teach their daughters the skills that have so often given a new bride the ability to turn her "house" into a "home." Inner knowledge and basic skills are truly the best Hope Chest a young lady will ever have. An old adage puts it this way, "Count that day lost whose low-descending sun, Views from thy hand no worthy action done."

Over the years the tradition of Hope Chests has become less common. Handmade things have turned into store-bought ones without the sentimental value. Instead of parent's planning ahead for the day their daughter becomes the mistress of her own home, today's parents just head to the store where the bride and groom have listed what they want at a bridal registry. Now most wedding gifts are purchased without a lot of thought and the tender tradition of the Hope Chest is nearly gone.

A young bride needs to be able to provide whatever her new family will need, often through the work of her hands. These skills are frowned upon by today's feministic views and materialistic shoppers, but these "hidden skills" are a valuable asset to any Hope Chest and the future well-being of a family and home.

My old seaman's chest now has a new assignment. While it is tucked behind one of the sofas in my living room it holds the blankets my loved ones cuddle up with early in the mornings or on cool winter evenings in front of the fire. This old chest still warms my heart while it reminds me of my days spent lovingly filling it with treasures in preparation for the time that is now at hand and at the same time brings a smile to my face as I look forward to the days to come.

Lorrie Flem has been honored to be the happy rib of Randy for 20 years. They make their home in Maple Valley, Washington until they reach the mansion Jesus is preparing for them. She considers it a privilege to be a stay-at-home homeschooling mom to their always precious and often precocious eight children.

Lorrie has always been prone to talk and as a result she has written a number of books, is the publisher of TEACH Magazine, a FREE bi-monthly ezine, and speaks nationally at conferences, retreats, and teas. Lorrie is known for her humorous and gentle words of encouragement to other keepers of the home. See her and get a sample of TEACH -- The Magazine that Puts the Home in Homeschooling -- For Mothers of Today with Yesterday's Values, at www.TEACHmagazine.com.