I am a memory pack rat. I have saved and stored away cards, letters, ticket stubs, church bulletins, programs, newspaper articles and various trinkets from my life. After I got married, I began to save mementos for my husband and children. I used to keep them in my cedar chest but the volume of over 40 years and 4 other people has long out grown the chest. I have graduated to a plastic tub for each member of the family. The cedar chest now holds some of my most prized treasures; the Christening gown my parents used for all four of their children, my wedding dress that was actually an 80’s prom dress that I bought on clearance for $20, my oldest son’s dedication suit, the outfit I brought both my sons home from the hospital in and the one my daughter wore. There also is a light orange crochet bunting and matching booties that my daughter’s namesake made for my oldest son. This wonderful friend never got to see my other children because she died from a brain aneurysm the week before my oldest turned a year old. There is a tattered quilt made by my Memèré, and a baby blanket given to my mother for me when I was born. Among the paper items are stories, poems, and artwork I had created in my younger days. I still have report cards from elementary school. There are dairies and journals chronicling my everyday life and emotions from long forgotten times. Whenever I touch a card or letter from someone who is no longer part of my life, I am taken back and the sweet memories remind me of the many blessings I have had. My children have followed in my ‘memory pack rat’ ways, filling their tubs with the things that will remind them of their own blessings. From time to time we look over these items and the many more stored for safekeeping and our hearts are filled. Their stories are told and we reflect on how good God is.
It is wonderful to have to memories to share and look back on. The children especially enjoy seeing the treasures from days past.
Blessings,
Hallie
All the members of our family also have their own totes. From time to time one of my children will ask to look through these. It is fun to spend some time traveling down memory lane.
*Kristie*
How sweet. I'm one of those sentimental kind too. I have boxes for my kids, but I put things in there that they will want to keep. I guess I should ask them what they want to put in there now that they are older. I need to get them up to date. I've got the mickey mouse hats with their names on them from Disney and I've got cards from their b-days and stuff like that.
I kwym about the cards. I've saved all of my cards for as long as I can remember. It's especially special to look back on those that were given to you from folks who are no longer with us. My granny used to sign all of the cards from her and my granddaddy and then after she passed away I have a couple of cards that are signed by my grandfather himself and those cards are precious to me. He passed away a little over a year after she did….and that's been 20+ years ago.
Anyway….now I'm walking down memory lane, lol. 🙂
I do this too. I keep meaning to add some of it to their scrapbooks, but so far this hasn't happened. =)
My husband. He saves eveything that reminds him of something fun, pleasant or meaningful that we have done together or that the kids have done and yes he has created a box for each one of them as well.
It's sweet to read of all your treasures.
We moved every few years, and I was relentless in tossing stuff. I have kept journals and pictures, and that is about it, and a few mementos. The one thing I tossed I will always regret was a diary my mom made me write when our family (missionaries) took a road trip via VW minivan in 1975 from South Yemen, through Saudi, and on to Holland, where we took a ferry across the channel to England and by airplane to NY and thence to home. I was about 9 or ten, and thought that anything I had written as a seven-year-old was passe and was not worth the 8 1/2 x 11 x 1 inch space it occupied in my closet. We took all our belongings with us, my parents, and five kids in the minibus. It sounds like you would never make that mistake. (: I'm sure your boxes will be treasured by your children and beyond.
Warmly,
Lori
ps It wasn't really a road trip. We were coming home for furlough and my dad didn't want to pay seven for seven air tickets–the trip was amazing, and really bonded our family in many ways, as well as testified to God's faithfulness in difficult times).
Edited by Lori on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 9:53 PM