2022/2023
Collection 18

Romantic Clocks

2004; Trier, Germany

When you think of romance, you think of flowers and jewelry, but you probably don’t think of a clock. Well, think again, because this is how my mom and dad’s love story began. 

In Germany in the spring of 2004, my dad, Brian Wood, and my mom, Maureen Patten, lived in the same apartment complex. Several of the tenants would go on trips together. One time the tenants went on a trip to the Black Forest. While there, they toured a little town called Trier (TREE-uh). The town had a small clock shop. The group went into the clock shop, because the Black Forest was known for its clocks.

While they were looking at the clocks, Brian asked Maureen to help him pick out a clock as a souvenir. Maureen agreed to the offer. She thought to herself, “Which one would I want if it were for my house?” There were a variety of clocks, from cuckoo clocks and wall clocks to grandfather clocks and extravagantly carved chime clocks. Even though the Black Forest was most widely known for cuckoo clocks, Maureen thought, “I wouldn’t want a cuckoo clock in my house.” As they were looking around, she saw a simple, but beautifully carved, wall clock. That was the one. It was beautiful but not overly carved. Maureen showed Brian, and he agreed with her. He purchased the clock.

A few weeks later they met each other for their first “date.” Now they are married and have two children — me and my younger brother. To this day, that clock chimes through our house every fifteen minutes.

So do you think that romance is all flowers and jewelry, or have you changed your mind to think differently?

Brooklyn Wood; Illinois, USA

This copyrighted story may be copied and/or printed for limited classroom or personal use. To reprint this story in an article about The Grannie Annie, please contact The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration for permission.

Return to "Collection 18" stories page