The Jessie Mae Necklace

Made from an embroidered vintage handkerchief.
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This necklace is named after my Grandmommy Sosebee who, from what I hear, was never without a hankie. I knew her all too briefly, but her memory carries on with every tale my family tells. Like the time she payed for the new family car (in cash!) with the savings from her grocery allowance . Or all the itty bitty left overs and soup can labels she saved for decades. I think of her when I put on face cream at night, knowing that she used it religiously and had the young skin to prove it's magical abilities to turn back the clock.
Here she is holding my Papa, circa 1934

















I asked my mom if there were any other sweet stories I should know and received a 1126 word essay in response! :)

My mother's words:

"...we drove down every Sunday after church and lunch at Melear's [the local BBQ joint] to visit for the afternoon. When we got there, Grandmommy ALWAYS came to meet us with a box of either peppermint patties or cream drops..."

"She kept a cardboard box in her linen closet floor that was just for keeping things for us to play with...old vacuum attachments, "necklaces" she had made from a shoe string that she strung through dish liquid bottle tops or wooden spools, and just various other discards that might interest us."

"I also remember when I was taking piano... she wanted to hear me play a song. I played a very elementary version (one note for each hand) of Oh, Holy Night (with plenty of mistakes) and she sat there with her eyes closed as if she could hear angels singing. She told me it was her favorite Christmas carol....she loved us all so very much."

"Papa and Nana (and some others in the family) have often said I remind them more of Jessie Mae Hudson Sosebee than any of the grand kids...absolutely the best compliment I think I could ever have!"

This necklace is a reminder to keep telling the stories that shape our memories. We all have a "Grandmommy Sosebee." We all have our own stories to tell.