"The train set came out only once a year, for about a month around Christmas.  My father, Lawrence Garrison, pulled out the boxes and assembled all the pieces into electromechanical magnificence."  —Paul Garrison

Stories

Project Keepsake showcases a collection of 55 stories by both writers and aspiring writers.  Wayne Minshew wrote about a brick, but not just any brick, Wayne's brick was plucked from the imploded rubble of the University of Georgia's old field house. As a young baseball player, Wayne had lived in the field house, so that brick holds hundreds of memories from Wayne's glory days.

"He tossed a buckeye over to me, and I caught it in my right hand. He grinned and said, 'Keep it. It’ll bring you good luck.'"—Amber Lanier Nagle

"He tossed a buckeye over to me, and I caught it in my right hand. He grinned and said, 'Keep it. It’ll bring you good luck.'"—Amber Lanier Nagle

I wrote a story about buckeyes, but my story is really about my father and his love of the great outdoors.

Paul Garrison wrote about a toy train car. Nancy Ratcliffe wrote about two pieces of Carnival glass that her grandmother purchased from the rolling store. Mitzi Boyd wrote about an old pound cake pan she inherited from her beloved, Nanny Keith. Bob Wright wrote about his mother's guitar. Renea Winchester wrote about her uncle's pocket knife.

The contributors in Project Keepsake's first collection include:

Jane Starner wrote about a magnificent blue plate.  She cleverly titled her story, "Blue Plate Special."

Jane Starner wrote about a magnificent blue plate.  She cleverly titled her story, "Blue Plate Special."

Renea Winchester (Uncle James' Pocket Knife)
Marcia M. Swearingen (My Beloved Mixing Bowl:  Big Green)
Sharon Huey (Birdie B.'s Silver Scissors)
Estelle Rodis-Brown (My Father's Fountain Pen)
Coleen Brooks (The Pregnancy Shirt)
Paul Garrison (The Eastman Chemical Tank Car)
Jean Lowrey (The Custard Spoon)
David Aft (Harry Aft's Signet Ring)
Wayne Minshew (The Brick)
Sherry Poff (Grandma Lissie's Devil's Ear)
Dorothy McCrory (The Book)
Jane Starner (Blue Plate Special)
 

Janie Dempsey Watts wrote about a frilly picture hat she wore on her wedding day.

Janie Dempsey Watts wrote about a frilly picture hat she wore on her wedding day.

Nancy Ratcliffe (Carnival Glass)
Janie Dempsey Watts (The Picture Hat)
Jim Gilreath (Jonathan's Bible and Margaret's Wax Vine)
Peggy Gilbert (Undefeated: The Cast)
Mitzi Boyd (Nanny's Magic Pan)
Audrey Lanier Andersen (Lucky Lottery Numbers)
Rachel Brown Kirkland (The Beanie Babies)
Dick Aft (Grandpa's Pocket Watch)
Phyllis Qualls Freeman (Custody of the Figurines)
Phyllis Qualls Freeman (The Old Crank Telephone)
Joanne Crockett Lewis (Downed Bird)
Barbara Tucker (My Grandma's Ugly Quilts)
Bob Wright (My Mother's Guitar)
Dana Cooley-Keith (A Stash of Shiny Silver Dollars)
Karen H. Phillips (The Pie Plate)
Mariah Fulton (The Music Box)
 

My sister, Audrey Lanier Andersen, wrote about a scrap of blue paper that my dad left on her kitchen counter the year he died.  He had scribbled some lucky lottery numbers on the paper.

My sister, Audrey Lanier Andersen, wrote about a scrap of blue paper that my dad left on her kitchen counter the year he died.  He had scribbled some lucky lottery numbers on the paper.

Chris Foster (The Quill)
Pauline Melton (My Grandmother's Pill Box Hat)
Priscilla N. Shartle (Mama's Gold Bangle Bracelet)
Donna Sutton (The Fiddle)
Judy Peterson (Cousin Geraldine's Watch)
Tom Durkan (Tom Senior's Wallet and Cell Phone)
Mary Lu Aft (Aunt Doris' Red Cross Pin)
Cynthia Wilson (A Blessing Around My Finger)
Julie Moss (Dad's Dresser)
Anne Elizabeth Cowan (The Blue Clay Vase)
Jesse Vaughn (Granny Rosie's Organ and Milking Stool)
Francine Fuqua (Pieces of Esnoms-Au-Val)
Victoria R. Choate (My Tin Sewing Kit)
Christine Alexander Jennison (Grandma's Bands of Gold)
Marvin Lewis (The Farm Table)
Missionary Janie Aker (Mattie Bell's Bible)
Ken Berry (Mementoes of a Freemason)
 

Cynthia Wilson wrote about her mother's engagement ring.  She wore the ring (something borrowed) on her honeymoon to Paris.

Cynthia Wilson wrote about her mother's engagement ring.  She wore the ring (something borrowed) on her honeymoon to Paris.

Martha Buttrum (The Old Iron Bed)
Elizabeth Swafford (Circus Teddy Bear)
Tim Egenes (The Rubber Stamp)
Carmen Slaughter (Jemaris' Purple Cup)
Thelma J. Benner (The Linde Star Necklace)
Debbie Dickson (Castanets)
Ed Huey (Black Swank Trifold)
Sue Rogers Davis (My Poem About Sam)
Amber Lanier Nagle (Herman's Brown Buckeyes) 
Amber Lanier Nagle (The Old Singer Sewing Machine)