HERITAGE

Mrs. Roy found this box of carpenter's pencils online at etsy.com.  Mrs. Roy bought them for Mr. Roy to be passed down to our children.  The reason these pencils caught Mrs. Roy's eye is because Mr. Roy's mother retired from Empire Pencil Company in Shelbyville, Tennessee.  She may have helped make this box of pencils.  In fact, chances are pretty good she did.  Mrs. Roy would ask her but Mrs. Roy's mother-in-law joined the angels in heaven a few years ago. 

So now we have a box of pencils to make us smile as we remember the wonderful lady who worked so hard every day making things like this so that we could have a better life.  Her pencil-making bought food and blue jeans and boy scout uniforms and bicycles and cars and paid for college and contributed to the down payment for our first home.  Mrs. Roy is sure making pencils was a difficult way to make a living but Mr. Roy's mom did it with grace and skill.  Mrs. Roy is proud of the work she did.  It's a good thing.