SECOND HAND ROSES – The Junktiquing Road – Dawn Edwards

Are you a secret Good Will shopper, garage and house sale lurker –

And God forbid – a cruiser of the garbage on the curb?

You have company.  It is now fashionable.

Dawn  Edwards  is a self-proclaimed thrift shop junkie and Good Will hunter.

And even admits to garbage picking.

Her new book is out and you will not only share in her experiences along the way but has a special “Rules of the Road” etiquette list that are under the radar that you should know about.

Enter –

SECOND HAND ROSES -   The Junktiquing Road

It is a sentimental journey – and a special and proud one for me as Dawn is my beloved daughter-in law.

Here are a few excerpts from one of her chapters -

Some of the more poignant things found on the shelves of my thrift store haunts have included those of framed old photographs of people probably long gone from this world.   Their original importance to life seemed virtually meaningless by their being disposed of in such a careless manner.  It pulled at my heartstrings every time I encountered such an item.  I’d often wonder why a family would donate such a memento, casting aside not only the frame, plaque, or trophy itself, but more intriguing, tossing out a snapshot in time.

Many a person with whom I shopped at whatever secondhand store at the time would stop, rifle out the trophy, scan its inscription, and then toss it aside like a chipped coffee mug or an unraveled tie.   There it would sit again, silently declaring its previous owner’s recognition, waiting to once again to adorn a shelf.

On more than one occasion, I would purchase one of these sad proclamations of performance, bring it home and restore it as best I could, placing it again in a place of honor atop my bookshelf.  It was almost an apology to the unknown owner.

Frozen in time, I found decades old snapshots, faded from the sun, once cherished and now remanded to the grubby shelves of a thrift shop.

Here on her wedding day stood a young lady, swathed in white lace, shyly smiling from beneath her veil, a bouquet of lilies grasped in one hand and the lengthy train in the other.  Somebody’s mother, aunt, grandmother, daughter, sister, or niece had stood for a portrait on clearly the most important day of her life, setting forth into a new adventure into matrimony.  I wondered what her life had been like.

Another photo showed a mother and son, her eyes so proud and full of love.  His small hands holding hers, he gazed up with adoration.  Their old-fashioned clothes, hinting at a simpler time, served to enhance the sweet setting. Her high-necked lace blouse and hand-carved cameo still a focal point, and his little starched white shirt and woolen knickers were charming in their elegance.  Clearly they were a proud family, dressed in their Sunday best, probably saving up for months to afford such an intimate and professional portrait.

Where was that son now?  How would he feel about my having that picture?

The questions remained unanswered.  The stories behind each snapshot were a mystery of lives now silent.

The lesson to me was how fleeting life is and how important to treasure the important moments and memories of my own family and the photographs.

Dawn’s musings are always sensitive, sometimes funny and her “Rules of the Road” after each chapter are sure to make you smile.

Consider purchasing the book for yourself or someone you love who is also a Junker.

You can buy it by clicking on this link.

SECOND HAND ROSES

Dawn Edwards is a 43-year-old writer, medical transcriptionist, blogger, work-at-home mom, and a long time self-professed thrift store “junkie

Her writing credits include inclusion in the anthology by best-selling author Arielle Ford, Hot Chocolate for the Mystical Lover. Her story, in conjunction with the Hot Chocolate for the Mystical Lover release was also featured in the January 2001 issue of Redbook magazine. Another story has appeared in the anthology God Allows U-Turns by Allison Gappa-Bottke.

Ms. Edwards has also been published in New Beginnings by La Leche League. She has contributed also to various websites including Associated Content.com, Hystersisters.com, Poetry.com, Godallowsuturns.com, Epinions.com, and Amazon.com.

Radio interviews include the radio talk show “Live Your Purpose Radio” with Michelle Vandepas on Blog Talk Radio. She has appeared on television on the Fox morning news on WFLD-TV in Chicago.

She lives in a small town west of Chicago with her husband, Alexander, and her son Julius.

Dawn’s blog