Back In Time

Last Friday morning, after a long and stressful week I decided it would be nice to go to one of the local antique malls. I had a few errands to run that morning but decided I could squeeze some time to relax with something I absolutely enjoy doing. We arrived as usual at the antique mall and started browsing our customary way with no particular object in mind, just looking around admiring some beautiful things and making faces at those we didn't like.

I usually go for the old pictures, ephemera, jewelry, books, art, and small figurines to see if there is anything of interest to me. While browsing through some old pictures and postcards I came across something that just grabbed my attention, it was a clear Ziploc bag with what seemed to have a little advertising card made in Japan, from the late 1800's, early 1900's. I picked up the bag, the price was only $3.50, it contained a journal that was so old it was falling apart. I didn't think about it twice and I took it. On my trip I also found an old music book from the early 1900's, I'd say 1920 or so. I also found a wonderful and beautiful book called Labeles of Gold published in the 1950's. I was excited to have found some very interesting pieces all for under $20.

I was anxious to get home and look through the old journal to see what kind of information it contained. Once I got home I prepared a space on the kitchen table by placing some tissue paper on the table where I would pull the book out of the bag.  I was afraid the journal would turn into ashes as I pulled it out very cautiously out of the bag. I opened it and started reading it page by page, the journal was dated from 1916 to 1922, it had the owners name and place where she lived. It was amazing when we googled her name and found that all her personal information was accurate! The journal contains all types of entries, birth dates, deaths, poems, and clippings of news papers. It also contained an journal entry which said something like April XX, 1920, name of person that was born. "We had to shoot her Month XX, 1932." This little girl was only 12 years of age when she died, it does not go into details, but it did shock me to read "we had to shoot her."

This person had her own little history to tell in this journal, good or bad, but it was her history! The following pictures contain a clipping of a calendar with some entries and clippings of newspapers from around the 1920's.

My daughter and a friend thought it was freaky that I would have bought this journal, it was an impulse to do so. I have a project in mind and I intend to use the journal to complete that project. If it tuns out the way that I have it visioned in my head it will be great! This journal also gave me the idea to start my own journal with all my poems, short stories, lyrics to songs, as well as newspaper and magazine clippings of interest to me. Who knows, maybe one day my journal might be old and be found by someone as curious as me.

Until next time!