As I continue to go through the contents of my grandparents’ house, which is now my
house, I find the lines between “miscellaneous” and “sentimental” are very blurred. My
grandmother collected everything, and filled every closet and drawer with her treasures. It’s a challenge at times, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. Thinking of which items bring me joy does help. One night recently, my mom was helping me clean out a closet and she pulled out a jar with dried beans and a panty-hose “pig” inside. I laughed and asked her to just put it back on the shelf so I could relive that moment another time.
The things my grandmother collected say a lot about who she was. She loved to laugh
and she loved little things, pretty things, old things, forgotten, things. She collected funny
sayings, salt and pepper shakers, dolls which she bathed and dressed. Nothing was too
unimportant for her to care about. Material things are not everything, but they say a lot about who we are and what we can pass on to others. And the best treasures are those which come from
the heart.