Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M.: June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010 Virginia Joyann "Jody" Haley Smith: April 2, 1938 - May 9, 2021 |
Tucked inside a square blue box are bits and pieces of packaging from the Around-the-World Shoppers Club, postage stamps and shipping labels from Austria, France, Germany, India, and South Korea, to name a few. Jody's membership to the Club included a "surprise gift mailed direct to you from a foreign land to demonstrate the beautiful gifts you will receive from all over the world for about $2 each, postpaid, duty free."
Looking through the box, I found a note from Jody to her grandmother, Jessie. There was no reference to the Club in the note, but maybe this membership was a gift from Jessie, and Jody revered the now vintage 1955 souvenirs. There are two actual souvenirs in the box - a broken tortoise-shell shaped fish still in its original cellophane package and a tiny address book from India.
The neatness and organization of the papers were intentional, each placed with care. After two hours, I explored the entire box and read each tiny foreign leaflet. This month Greece sends you a ceramic plate with a brilliant design older than written history; Your Club Gift this month is an exact replica of the famed South-Gate made of brass in ancient Korea; Life in Monaco is light-hearted, and this enchanted atmosphere is reflected in the exquisite comb we are sending you this month; Your amber vase from Majorca was handblown in the Gordiola workshop by artisans skilled in the accurate reproduction of authentic primitive styles...
What happened to the actual souvenirs? I don't know. The blue box of papers will be given to Jody's grandchildren for safekeeping and for future generations to admire.
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