The Ugly Trunk...ling

Once upon a time, long ago there was an old man who purchased many, many trunks.  Stacked to the ceiling these trunks filled his room.  One day he called his children together and told them he would like to give each one of them a trunk of their choice.  There were so many to choose from: tall ones, fat ones, skinny ones, ugly ones, pretty ones, old ones, and ancient ones...  The eldest son and his wife stood staring at the tower of trunks not knowing which one to claim as their own.  After much consideration, a decision was finally made.  They loaded their ugly little trunk ling up and headed home.

Oh, there were those who whispered and gawked.  They wondered why this couple chose the ugliest trunk of all.  "Why not bigger, better, prettier?"  " What are they going to do with that ugly old thing?"

The couple laughed.  They knew.

Day after day after day the little trunk ling was given a fair amount of attention.  Until one day all the loving care paid off.  It was cleaned, painted, and shined like new.  It adorned beautiful fabric for it's lining and new leather for it's handles and stood as a thing of beauty in the couple's home.  Those who whispered before now stood in awe of the transformation.  

For many years to come this beautiful trunk served the couple well storing such things as blankets, Christmas ornaments, and so much more.  It proudly showed off books, photos, and other trinkets the owners felt worthy to display. The owners often wished their trunk could talk.  If only it could tell them about all the places it had been, the things it had seen, and the people it had belonged to.  Oh, the stories and secrets it held inside!

Trunk ling was as loyal as any friend could be.  It moved with them from house to house.  It survived babies, toddlers, and teenagers.  It tolerated crayons, play-doh, barbie dolls, Legos, Nintendo games, spilled drinks and food, and dirty tennis shoes in the most humble way, until one unusually quite evening when the owners realized their trunk once again stood neat and tidy displaying nothing more than the prettiest of books, cherished photos, and other display-worthy trinkets.  The games, crayons, play-doh, dolls, match box cars, homework papers, smelly shoes along with the children were all gone. 

AND THEN...THERE WAS...

THE LOVELIEST OF ALL WEDDINGS!!

Their only son had a new bride and a new home.  The parents wanted to give the new couple a gift:  One that held memories, one to be cherished, one that would stand the test of time, one that would see them through many wonderful happy years together as their love and family grew.  What COULD they give?

The couple laughed.  They knew.