An Antique Clock Connects Generations of Family Memories

It’s amazing how the simple ticking of a clock can bring back so many memories.

I had just gotten off the phone with my granddaughter. We were excitedly discussing the upcoming birth of her first child. It’s crazy, but I was going to be a great-grandmother! While contemplating this precious child’s arrival, I noticed the upstairs antique clock quietly ticking in the background. A flood of family memories started to fill my head.

The slow, steady ticking reminded me of time’s constant yet steady passage. It was then that I realized that gazing into the eyes of your great-grandchild is like staring into the future.

The clock story

My father wanted me to have his father’s clock, which he had inherited from the estate when his father passed. I was thrilled to have something that belonged to my grandfather, so I gladly took possession of it. I lovingly placed it in an upstairs bedroom with a few other antiques passed down from my husband’s family.

I don’t actually set the time because I found it’s just too much trouble. Okay, I don’t have the patience for it. But I wind it weekly because I love to hear it ticking and gonging on the hour. (Even though it’s never right at the correct hour).

Grandfather had purchased the clock when my dad was a boy. I remember watching my dad, in his later years, faithfully go to the clock each Sunday to wind it. This simple act seemed to give him a lot of pleasure. I suppose he loved touching the key his dad had so often handled. No doubt, that experience took him back to his childhood when he watched his father faithfully wind the clock weekly.

I sat on the stairs for a moment and listened to the ticking. I thought about my grandfather, who passed away when I was only three years old. I also reflected on my great-grandchild, who is about to make her way into the world. There would be six generations from my grandfather to her -two before me and three after me. Their lives would be very different. Yet, they would be connected through DNA and our family tree. How blessed I was to have touched all six generations!

When future touches the past

I envisioned little Mila someday making it to our home and moseying upstairs. She will gaze at that clock and marvel at how old it is. The antique timepiece will seem very odd to her in the digital world in which she lives. I’ll take her hand and let her hold the key that her great-great-great grandfather held a century ago. I’ll then gently show her how to wind the clock. I’ll tell her a little about her great-great-grandfather and what little I know about her great-great-great-grandfather.

Same clock, differing perspectives

It’s just a clock—a timepiece made of wood, metal, and glass. Yet, I’ve discovered that each generation has a different purpose relating to the clock.

Grandfather used to wind the clock to mark the time. My dad used it to remind him of a former time. I use it to remind me of the passage of time. For Mila, it will clearly unveil the changing times.

For all, it reminds us of our limited time.

The end of father time

Yes, time on earth is short, even for those who live the longest. Nevertheless, as Christians, we take solace in knowing we are eternal beings!

Our soul and spirit never die because our spirit is renewed every morning.

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Thanks to Jesus, we can hope to connect with all our family through every generation.

A day that’s getting closer with each tick of the clock.

What’s your cherished piece?

I love how gifts and items passed down through generations can evoke memories. They remind us of loved ones. We instantly think of that person when we see or touch the item. What cherished items do you have that remind you of your loved ones?

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For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16