We had SUCH a good time! Kathy and her family were really terrific and our server joined in with the jokes that were were a couple of shady "Mafiosas" there to hold up the restaurant! I got Joanna on the phone, she was the wife of the man who had restored the case many years ago, as so she was able to join us long distance for a few minutes.
Kathy was really excited to have the case. Look at her smile in the photo! We had several people who asked why we had two old violin cases with us in the restaurant and she was telling everyone there the story of how I had returned her ancestor's violin case to her family. I really am so glad that this happened. I like my replacement case and it really was wonderful to see how thrilled Kathy was to see the case, which I found out would likely have been built by her great-great-grandfather who was a cabinet maker.
It was so neat, when we opened up the case, pulled back the lining and she saw the writing inside she gasped out loud, and when I showed her where the children's names were written and the name of her ancestor, she reached out and put her fingers on the names, as if she was reaching out to them. I have done that so many times researching my own family, and it was so neat to see that she really will treasure this for the rest of her life. It was exactly what one hopes for when you give something up, that it will be treasured as much or even more than you treasured it.
It was happy ending after more than a century, and it is time to say "case closed"
Here are the photos from tonight. I'm the blonde lady, Kathy is the brunette. She is sitting holding her family's case and I'm holding my "new" one. Seated with Kathy are her husband David and son Ryan. That's my hubby Bob, next to me with his eyes closed!
