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According to 2)Webster an heirloom is “a piece of property that descends to the heir as an inseparable part of an 3)inheritance or something of special value handed on from one generation to another.” People love to research the past but sometimes they do little to protect the pieces of family life they find for the future.
Some families have real heirlooms—remarkable pieces of furniture, jewelry or 4)silverware that have been handed down from generation to generation. If the current owner is very lucky they may even have the family stories that are associated with the heirlooms. When we can pass both the heirloom and stories on to our families it makes them even more valuable.
Most of us do not have families like those. Our possessions may not have much monetary value. Many of our families were the hard working farmers who helped turn our lands into nations. They were relatively poor so we may not have family heirlooms. Our family heirlooms might be a family Bible or photo album.
Sometimes I wonder what item or items might survive as representative of my life and who will be the keeper? If I were to do the selecting it would be very easy for me to decide what should be saved. I have three possessions that are very precious to me. I had asked my mother repeatedly to put together something about her and my father’s life. Three years before she passed away she presented me with a 5)scrapbook that detailed her and my father’s 48 years of marriage. This was such a special gift. While celebrating one of my more “memorable” birthdays my husband and children gave me a wonderful 6)booklet that they had all put together. In it they shared many memories about our lives as they were growing up.
The last item is an old 7)Prince Albert Tobacco tin. When I was a child my father had his family pictures stored in one of the old tins. As a special treat he would let me get it out and look at the pictures. None of these items have great monetary value, but to me, they are absolutely priceless. You can’t measure the worth or value of personal property.
In our area, the County Extension agents do a wonderful program entitled “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate?” Almost everyone has personal belongings such as wedding photographs, a baseball glove, or a yellow pie plate that contains meaning for them and for other members of their family. This is a wonderful program and it helps people think about passing along their heirlooms long before it is a problem.
A friend of ours just recently served as an administrator for an estate. He said that they settled hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property with no difficulty. The only disagreement that they had was over the 8)knickknacks that their mother had always had in the front window. Three of the four children wanted them. By giving this some careful thought we can avoid that happening in our families.
How will you share your family heritage, traditions, and memories? Give some thought to things that have been passed down to you and make sure that you are making arrangements for them to be passed to further generations. Remember also that you may have some items that are new to you and you have very special memories associated with them. Pass those along with the story behind them to your children. Make sure that you will be remembered as a good ancestor.
按照韦氏词典的解释，“传家宝”一词指的是“从一代人传至下代人的财产，对于继承人来说，传家宝是遗产中不可或缺的一部分，或者是具有特殊价值的东西。”人们喜欢探究过去，但有时候，他们很少会为了未来而去做保护家庭生活的事情。
有些家庭有真正的传家宝——代代相传的精美家具、珠宝或银器件。如果现在这位传家宝所有者足够幸运的话，他们甚至可能还有一段关于这个传家宝的家族故事呢。如果我们可以把传家宝及背后的故事都代代相传会令其显得更有价值。
大多数人没有那样的祖辈。我们拥有的东西可能不值多少钱。我们大多数的祖辈家人只是曾经辛勤劳作的农民，在土地上耕耘，为国土家园的建设添砖加瓦。他们相对较贫困，因此可能没有传家宝。我们的传家宝，可能只是一本家传《圣经》或相册。
有时候，我会想，哪个或哪些物件会幸存下来并最终成为我一生的代表？究竟谁会成为它们的拥有者？如果让我自己选择的话，决定把什么保存起来将会是件轻而易举的事情。我有三样对我来说非常宝贵的财富。我曾多次要母亲把她和我父亲之间的生活片段拼凑起来。母亲去世前三年，她给了我一个剪贴簿，上面详细地呈现了她与父亲48年的婚姻生活。这是一份如此特殊的礼物。而在庆祝一次尤为令我“难忘”的生日时，丈夫和孩子们送了我一本美妙的小册子，里面的东西全是他们亲手贴上去的。在这个小册子里，他们分享了成长过程中许多关于我们生活的点滴回忆。
我要保存的最后一件东西是一个古老的阿尔伯特亲王牌烟丝盒。当我还是个孩子时，父亲把家人的照片存储在其中一个旧盒子里面。作为特别厚待，他会让我把盒子里的照片拿出来看。这些物件都不怎么值钱，但对我来说，它们绝对是无价的。你无法衡量个人财产的价值或重要性。
在我们那个地区，县区推广员策划了一个很棒的项目，名为“谁家得到了奶奶的黄色馅饼盘？”几乎每个人都珍藏着对自己或者家人有特殊意义的私人物品，如婚礼照片、棒球手套，或是一个黄色馅饼盘。这个项目真不错，可以帮助人们未雨绸缪，好在纷争发生前将自己的传家宝顺利传下去。
我们的一位朋友最近担当过一份遗产的管理人。他说，他们在处理价值数十万美元的财产时没有遇到困难。唯一的分歧由一些小摆设引起，他们的母亲先前一直把这些小摆设放在前窗上。四个孩子中有三个希望得到这些小摆设。对此进行一番深思熟虑之后，我想我们家能够避免这种情况发生。
你会如何分享家族的遗产、传统和回忆呢？想一想那些已经传到你手中的东西，确保自己做好安排让其顺利地传到晚辈们的手中。也请记住，你也有可能有一些对你来说有着特殊回忆的新物件。把你的这些新物件连同其背后的故事传给你的孩子。务必要成为一个被子孙后代铭记的好祖先。
Some families have real heirlooms—remarkable pieces of furniture, jewelry or 4)silverware that have been handed down from generation to generation. If the current owner is very lucky they may even have the family stories that are associated with the heirlooms. When we can pass both the heirloom and stories on to our families it makes them even more valuable.
Most of us do not have families like those. Our possessions may not have much monetary value. Many of our families were the hard working farmers who helped turn our lands into nations. They were relatively poor so we may not have family heirlooms. Our family heirlooms might be a family Bible or photo album.
Sometimes I wonder what item or items might survive as representative of my life and who will be the keeper? If I were to do the selecting it would be very easy for me to decide what should be saved. I have three possessions that are very precious to me. I had asked my mother repeatedly to put together something about her and my father’s life. Three years before she passed away she presented me with a 5)scrapbook that detailed her and my father’s 48 years of marriage. This was such a special gift. While celebrating one of my more “memorable” birthdays my husband and children gave me a wonderful 6)booklet that they had all put together. In it they shared many memories about our lives as they were growing up.
The last item is an old 7)Prince Albert Tobacco tin. When I was a child my father had his family pictures stored in one of the old tins. As a special treat he would let me get it out and look at the pictures. None of these items have great monetary value, but to me, they are absolutely priceless. You can’t measure the worth or value of personal property.
In our area, the County Extension agents do a wonderful program entitled “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate?” Almost everyone has personal belongings such as wedding photographs, a baseball glove, or a yellow pie plate that contains meaning for them and for other members of their family. This is a wonderful program and it helps people think about passing along their heirlooms long before it is a problem.
A friend of ours just recently served as an administrator for an estate. He said that they settled hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property with no difficulty. The only disagreement that they had was over the 8)knickknacks that their mother had always had in the front window. Three of the four children wanted them. By giving this some careful thought we can avoid that happening in our families.
How will you share your family heritage, traditions, and memories? Give some thought to things that have been passed down to you and make sure that you are making arrangements for them to be passed to further generations. Remember also that you may have some items that are new to you and you have very special memories associated with them. Pass those along with the story behind them to your children. Make sure that you will be remembered as a good ancestor.
按照韦氏词典的解释，“传家宝”一词指的是“从一代人传至下代人的财产，对于继承人来说，传家宝是遗产中不可或缺的一部分，或者是具有特殊价值的东西。”人们喜欢探究过去，但有时候，他们很少会为了未来而去做保护家庭生活的事情。
有些家庭有真正的传家宝——代代相传的精美家具、珠宝或银器件。如果现在这位传家宝所有者足够幸运的话，他们甚至可能还有一段关于这个传家宝的家族故事呢。如果我们可以把传家宝及背后的故事都代代相传会令其显得更有价值。
大多数人没有那样的祖辈。我们拥有的东西可能不值多少钱。我们大多数的祖辈家人只是曾经辛勤劳作的农民，在土地上耕耘，为国土家园的建设添砖加瓦。他们相对较贫困，因此可能没有传家宝。我们的传家宝，可能只是一本家传《圣经》或相册。
有时候，我会想，哪个或哪些物件会幸存下来并最终成为我一生的代表？究竟谁会成为它们的拥有者？如果让我自己选择的话，决定把什么保存起来将会是件轻而易举的事情。我有三样对我来说非常宝贵的财富。我曾多次要母亲把她和我父亲之间的生活片段拼凑起来。母亲去世前三年，她给了我一个剪贴簿，上面详细地呈现了她与父亲48年的婚姻生活。这是一份如此特殊的礼物。而在庆祝一次尤为令我“难忘”的生日时，丈夫和孩子们送了我一本美妙的小册子，里面的东西全是他们亲手贴上去的。在这个小册子里，他们分享了成长过程中许多关于我们生活的点滴回忆。
我要保存的最后一件东西是一个古老的阿尔伯特亲王牌烟丝盒。当我还是个孩子时，父亲把家人的照片存储在其中一个旧盒子里面。作为特别厚待，他会让我把盒子里的照片拿出来看。这些物件都不怎么值钱，但对我来说，它们绝对是无价的。你无法衡量个人财产的价值或重要性。
在我们那个地区，县区推广员策划了一个很棒的项目，名为“谁家得到了奶奶的黄色馅饼盘？”几乎每个人都珍藏着对自己或者家人有特殊意义的私人物品，如婚礼照片、棒球手套，或是一个黄色馅饼盘。这个项目真不错，可以帮助人们未雨绸缪，好在纷争发生前将自己的传家宝顺利传下去。
我们的一位朋友最近担当过一份遗产的管理人。他说，他们在处理价值数十万美元的财产时没有遇到困难。唯一的分歧由一些小摆设引起，他们的母亲先前一直把这些小摆设放在前窗上。四个孩子中有三个希望得到这些小摆设。对此进行一番深思熟虑之后，我想我们家能够避免这种情况发生。
你会如何分享家族的遗产、传统和回忆呢？想一想那些已经传到你手中的东西，确保自己做好安排让其顺利地传到晚辈们的手中。也请记住，你也有可能有一些对你来说有着特殊回忆的新物件。把你的这些新物件连同其背后的故事传给你的孩子。务必要成为一个被子孙后代铭记的好祖先。