Buttons

A couple weeks ago I reached into the pocket of a new sport coat and pulled out the complimentary bag containing 2 buttons (a large one for the front and a small one for the sleeve). I gave the bag of extra buttons to my wife Rhonda. I don’t know where she stashes them, but she knows how to sew and will occasionally patch things up for me. My grandmother (Mom’s mother) kept her extra buttons in a coffee can (the 2-pound size).

Grandma kept this can on the floor in her sewing room. It was hardly a room; even as a small child I recognized that. Dad described such rooms as “so small there’s no room to change your mind.” There was room for a foot-powered sewing machine, Grandma, a visiting grandchild, some bolts of cloth, her mending and her can of buttons.

I don’t know for sure how the can ended up in my possession but it has been largely ignored. That red and white Butter-Nut coffee can has been sitting quietly forgotten on a shelf in our kitchen for several years. It had blended in with the other old-time country kitchen decorations so I never really thought about it.

Saturday, I took it off the shelf to examine a two-word phrase, “Specially Mellowed,” on the can that had caught my son Nathan’s eye. Having forgot about the can’s contents and presuming it empty I was surprised to find that it had some heft to it – Grandma’s buttons. It was like finding an old friend. I spent the next hour happily examining its contents.

Along with a few coins, some hat pins, hook and eyes, small buckles and paper clips were Grandma’s buttons. There must have been several hundred of them. They ranged in size from a Kennedy half-dollar to that of a pencil eraser.

Some of the buttons had a colored fabric cover, many were shaped like flowers, there was even one shaped and textured to resemble a seashell. In addition to the most popular color, kind of a white/off-white/egg shell/lace/beige/ivory/bone/vanilla/pearl mix, there were buttons of pink, purple, red, blue, green, gray, black, silver, gold and so on. They were made out of plastic, metal and wood.

After I had dumped the 50-plus year old contents on the table Nathan joined in the fun. By waiting he was able to avoid getting the blame for messing up a clean table cloth with dust, dirt and debris. With the help of his younger, stronger eyes we found real treasure.

There was an old metal button with the seal of the state of Oklahoma (a long way for a button to travel). The button was so small and faded that it was only visible under a magnifying glass. Several buttons had “U.S. Navy” stamped on them, others just had the anchor. Grandma’s four sons had been in the navy, while Grandpa had served in that branch in both world wars.

There is also a WWI U.S. army collar button. It has two rifles crossing each other with a large F (signifying company) below them. Grandma had one brother, Walter. He died as a young man in France in WWI. Perhaps this button had belonged to him.

Grandma kept these buttons in a can marked “Specially Mellowed.” It’s a clumsy little saying created many years ago by somebody in the Butter-Nut marketing department, but I like the meaning. Specially – Made for a special purpose. Mellowed - Pleasantly smooth; softened by maturity or experience, relaxed and good humored.

At 52, I’m mathematically closer to 70 than 30, but I don’t feel old – foolish, but not old – and I’m still looking for my special purpose. Like a button we are all designed for a special purpose, and as we age our rough edges should be smoothed out. The button that is knotted up too tight is usually the one that pops under stress. So stay relaxed, good- humored and hang onto your buttons.