1633 Holland Ceramic Shoe

I love receiving emails from my blog readers!  Recently I heard from a reader who sent me a story about an ancestral shoe.  I thought you all would enjoy hearing her heartfelt story.

It was a beautiful May Day, (Thursday, May 5, 2011) and I had made the decision to straighten up my work area and home office. In doing so, I accidentally broke my ancestral Holland ceramic shoe dated 1633. It shattered into innumerable pieces on my ceramic tile floor. In shock, I sat on the floor in confusion and disbelief as tears streamed down my bare cheeks. Picking up the countless pieces I immediately called my husband to explain my tragedy. It was if I were conveying the death of a family member, my heart was broken like the shoe. When he arrived home, he took all of the precious broken pieces and glued them back together as if he were saying “here it is, all fixed.” Then he went on line and said he found another Holland Ceramic Shoe for fifteen dollars. I was in astonished until he mentioned it was an ashtray replica!

My paternal grandmother (whom I worshiped) passed this heirloom down to me twenty years ago for safe keeping. She trusted me and my love for this prized possession, knowing I would take good care of it and continue the legacy. I was always curious and proud of our family heritage and would sit countless hours absorbing her informative recounts. My grandmother was a Quaker as well as her mother, grandmother and so on back to when her ancestors came over on the Mayflower in 1620. She passed seven years ago at the age of 96.

Can you imagine how many hands have cared for the blue and white Holland antique shoe? How many generations of homes possessed this heirloom? And on May 5th, it ended with me.

My name is Rochelle Gavlik and I founded and own Card Creations by Rochelle, a new Customized Card business started in January 2011. I have a deep passion for handmade specialty cards, scrapbooking, jewelry making and have been involved in these crafts for six years. 

Please feel free to send me your antique stories and photos!  Email me at pinkpigw@yahoo.com.  I love hearing from you! ~ Debb