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Dear Editor,

It was June 29, 1998, when my mother passed away leaving three daughters to carry on our family traditions. My Mom was the glue that held us together, as they say, leaving a legacy of sharing family meals and holiday celebrations. As the holidays approached, being the baby of the sisters, I went shopping for something memorable that would keep us in special bond. And there it was! Tucked away in a Christmas boutique of collectibles were Christmas tree ornament balls in a series called “Three Little Angels”. These unique ornaments—red, green and  blue—have an angel doing something whimsically different on each and are true collectibles and very expensive for that time.

The Plan

The oldest sister would get the blue one because she always decorated her home in blue and white complete with a white tree trimmed in blue lights. The middle would have her choice and I would take the remaining one. “The Pact” went like this: When the first of the three sisters passes, she would designate which of the remaining two would receive her angel ornament. The next to go would pass the two ornaments to the remaining sister. With this arrangement, we as sisters would always be together. The plan will continue when the last sister passes, all three ornaments will be designated to my Mother’s only Granddaughter and she would then pass them to the only Great Granddaughter, and so on.

So, the plan was now in place. I presented them to my sisters at Thanksgiving to be enjoyed at Christmas. It was designed to somehow bring a smile to our heavy hearts during all the Christmas’ to come without our Mom.

Christmas arrived and in keeping with tradition, we all gathered at the oldest sister’s home. As usual, her home was beautifully decorated in blue and white with bits of greenery all around. Instead of placing her Little Angel ornament on her white tree, she displayed it on an ornament stand and carefully placed it on her perfectly decorated mantle. It was beautiful and admired in a memorable way.

After Christmas when it was time to put her decorations away, she began with the mantle as she had done every year before. First the lighted church, then the carolers, but then something began to happen that could not be avoided. With all else removed, the lighted garland became front heavy and began to slide forward. Before a hand could be lifted, the stand holding her Three Little Angels-blue was pulled off the mantle, fell onto a brick hearth, and shattered into a thousand pieces!

There was nothing left but tears as she picked up every single sliver and placed it all into a tiny zip lock bag and placed it back into the red padded ornament box from which it came. It became an agonizing time for her. She just couldn’t bring herself to tell me what had happened. After a few months, she finally told me her ornament was broken.

In an effort to help my sister feel better, I set out to find another Three Little Angels-blue. I first called the Christmas boutique, but they had no others. I called their place of origin in San Diego, California but was told the Three Little Angels were only produced one holiday season as originals.

For the next 20 years, my sister displayed the tiny little bag of broken pieces at Christmas and for the same 20 years, I periodically searched every online venue possible, and visited many vintage shops and antique malls across the United States in hopes of finding Three Little Angels blue. Seems the red and green one were a bit more plentiful, although became lesser over the years, but the blue one was nowhere to be found.

Then in the Fall of 2020, Three Little Angels-blue appeared on eBay. I immediately contacted the seller located in San Jose, California; however, she explained she thought the listing had been closed and wasn’t sure she still had the ornament. She said if she still had it, it would be packed away with her Christmas decorations. I shared the story of the Three Little Angels ornaments and how my 88 year old sister still displays the pouch of broken pieces. My story touched her heart because she is also one of five sisters who enjoyed their own traditions. She promised to continue her search and reconnect with me if found. But it was not found and more than three years would pass.

Fast forward to February 2024, I was having lunch out with friends and received a phone call from a number I did not recognize, but they left a voice mail. I listened to it and all I heard was “Blue angel ornament, do you still want it?” Oh my gosh!! The excitement that ran through me was indescribable! I quickly called her back. She explained how she found the ornament while packing for a move to Oregon, and how surprised she was to have found my number after over three years. This very kind and caring lady got my address and she was so excited to learn that my sister, now 91, is still with me.

I received the ornament in early March complete with original tag and box along with a thoughtful note to both me and my sister. We had previously agreed not to waste another minute giving it to my sister. On March 27, my sweet sister was surprised again with Three Little Angels-blue making the plan whole again. Along with pictures, I wrote to my new found friend:

“Just gave my sister our Three Little Angels-blue. She was speechless for a moment and then gave a very big smile. Thank you! You have given her a very happy day—and me too”.

It was in this conversation that I received another surprise. My new friend said, “An obscure question, are you involved with DAR?” I said, ‘Yes, are you in DAR?’ She was not, but it seems her next-door neighbor passed away and her son had thrown his Mother’s unwanted belongings into a dumpster. She laughed as she told me how she went dumpster-diving to salvage a few quality items. But lo and behold, tucked away in something she just happened to pick up, she found a “pouch of DAR pins.” My friend now had a new dilemma to resolve. Through her sense of duty, it somehow hit her heart that I could be the one to bring these precious pins back into good keeping. She packed them with intention of mailing, but they got packed away and were moved to Oregon. On Sept. 23, there was a surprise awaiting me in my mailbox. The journey of the DAR pins had arrived safe and sound. Like the Three Little Angels, there are three happy endings to this story. First, my now 92-year-old sister can look at her Three Little Angels-blue with Joy again.

Next, through a little research, I found the pins actually belonged to Wynema Brooks Thomas, mother of my friend’s neighbor, Margaret Ford. Ms. Thomas joined NSDAR  in 1970 into Fort Pontchartrain Chapter, Ohio where she served as chapter regent before passing away in 1988. Her pins had been stored away with love and care for 38 years until such time, they were not – they were tossed into a dumpster.

“Mrs. Ford, your Mama’s precious bicentennial insignia pins chosen by her through years of service and patriotism, will once again be cared for with much respect and honor.” And lastly, my new friend Lynn now living in Oregon, has invited me to visit and she calls me her Alabama southern belle.

Shirley Loewen
Oak Mountain Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution