Just a Few Mementos
Today I am grateful for safe travels to and from Iowa and for the chance to see family members I don't see often. We stayed an extra day there because of the foot of snow we got here.
I am also grateful for the chance to record some more family memories as my Mom and I talked over the weekend.
I missed blogging yesterday, but the word I had already selected fits well with the weekend I had. That word is memento. It simply means a souvenir or reminder. I have a vast array of mementos, but I like to broaden my definition of memento out to include more than just physical items. Memories are also souvenirs and reminders of the decades I have lived. And of course, the two often go hand in hand. The physical item sparks the memory or the memory starts a search for the item.
The mementos I treasure the most typically evoke pleasant memories, but I also deeply value ones that may mark difficult times. Pleasant or difficult, they are all part of my story or the stories of those near and dear to me. I am a keeper and I have boxes full of souvenirs and reminders. I have become more discerning about what I keep, but I still have many boxes and totes full. What will come of them? Time will tell. But I just got another idea for some more blog posts.
My profile picture is one of the mementos from the weekend. It is a snowman my son and I made in my mom's front yard. It was perfect snowball snow. Sam did the detail work. I brought back many mementos of my day Saturday. I spent a few hours with my two sisters Zita and Ruth and my sister-in-law Terri. We had a holiday baking and creating frenzy. We had a fun time, good conversation, and delicious results for our efforts. Many containers left Ruth's house to be shared with many others.Of course, I will enjoy a few of the treats myself.
When Mom got out her little Christmas tree on Sunday, we talked about the ornaments on the tree. There are several red, velvety balls that I remember from when I was little. (Siblings out there reading . . . maybe some of you recall them, or would if you saw them.) They are a little worn, but still a nice adornment. Mom told me that they had gotten those ornaments one of the first years her and Dad were married. A selling point was that they weren't breakable. Indeed. They are somewhere in the range of 60 years old. I took a few notes in my journal about these decorations and a few other things Mom and I talked about.
Mementos and memories. I so appreciate capturing a few more of Mom's memories and the stories behind some of the things I recall from my own earlier memories. And I am grateful to be a writer with the desire to capture the memories on paper. Or should I say in a retrievable format that is more reliable than my own memory bank?
Have a good day!
I am also grateful for the chance to record some more family memories as my Mom and I talked over the weekend.
I missed blogging yesterday, but the word I had already selected fits well with the weekend I had. That word is memento. It simply means a souvenir or reminder. I have a vast array of mementos, but I like to broaden my definition of memento out to include more than just physical items. Memories are also souvenirs and reminders of the decades I have lived. And of course, the two often go hand in hand. The physical item sparks the memory or the memory starts a search for the item.
The mementos I treasure the most typically evoke pleasant memories, but I also deeply value ones that may mark difficult times. Pleasant or difficult, they are all part of my story or the stories of those near and dear to me. I am a keeper and I have boxes full of souvenirs and reminders. I have become more discerning about what I keep, but I still have many boxes and totes full. What will come of them? Time will tell. But I just got another idea for some more blog posts.
My profile picture is one of the mementos from the weekend. It is a snowman my son and I made in my mom's front yard. It was perfect snowball snow. Sam did the detail work. I brought back many mementos of my day Saturday. I spent a few hours with my two sisters Zita and Ruth and my sister-in-law Terri. We had a holiday baking and creating frenzy. We had a fun time, good conversation, and delicious results for our efforts. Many containers left Ruth's house to be shared with many others.Of course, I will enjoy a few of the treats myself.
When Mom got out her little Christmas tree on Sunday, we talked about the ornaments on the tree. There are several red, velvety balls that I remember from when I was little. (Siblings out there reading . . . maybe some of you recall them, or would if you saw them.) They are a little worn, but still a nice adornment. Mom told me that they had gotten those ornaments one of the first years her and Dad were married. A selling point was that they weren't breakable. Indeed. They are somewhere in the range of 60 years old. I took a few notes in my journal about these decorations and a few other things Mom and I talked about.
Mementos and memories. I so appreciate capturing a few more of Mom's memories and the stories behind some of the things I recall from my own earlier memories. And I am grateful to be a writer with the desire to capture the memories on paper. Or should I say in a retrievable format that is more reliable than my own memory bank?
Have a good day!
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