I promise that's all I said:
" I Like Your Dutch Painting". Which was my way of making polite conversation, in a room full of grieving relatives, straight from the the grave site. One of my husband's golf buddies had died, and we had stopped by the family home to pay our respects. "You're the only person who has ever recognized that as Holland!" replied his widow.. Then to my horror, the eighty something senior took off her shoes, climbed on the sofa, almost stepping on the two folks sitting there, and struggled to get the painting off of the wall. There was a hushed silence that fell over the room , and more than a few raised eyebrows as she said "Tom go put this in your car, I want Janey to have it." No no no! I exclaimed with my husband also chiming in..but she wouldn't take no for an answer. I have never been so embarrassed.....
The next morning my husband called one of her grown children and tell him that we would be by and drop the painting off, as we had no intentions of keeping it. To which he replied" Please keep the painting. If Mother wanted you to have it...then you need to keep it"
So, that is how we came by this Dutch painting that I know nothing about. Except, that they bought it on their honeymoon, in Holland, just after World War II.
You should have seen the look on my face when I ran into another of Tom's golf buddies a few weeks later, and he asked if I had been to any other funerals !
What a lovely story Janey. I hope you will enjoy looking at it every day. It was given in love. I think it's wonderful to give away belongings to those that might derive more pleasure from them. Having downsized in the last year, I can tell you that at some point, you realize that it's ok to let go of things.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this sweet story.
V
I agree with Virginia. It was a beautiful gesture by a grieving widow, and I think that you have been blessed. Perhaps I may be mis-nterpreting the remark by a fellow golfer but I think it was crass. You should and will enjoy the painting!
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