Tokens of Love and Thoughtfulness

"I have a box where I keep all of the holiday and birthday and just-because cards that my family send me. They are memories, tokens of love and thoughtfulness, and there is a part of me that can't bear to throw them out.
I don't need these cards. I hardly every open that box, and so they don't add anything to my life, but there is a part of me that thinks that maybe, just maybe, one day I will need to remember the moments and the people they represent." Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller

I have probably two or three boxes with holiday, birthday, letters, and memorabilia of my life. Some of them are tokens of love. I can't bear to throw them out, and I agree that I don't hardly ever open those boxes, but I do think that they do add something to my life. I am fascinated with ephemera from other eras. I have loved looking at my mother's old cards, postcards, or handwriting. I enjoy thinking about the era, what was happening at that time, the design, font, and colors. Occasionally, I pull out these rubber made tubs and look at the items. Sometimes I feel like a jackdaw- they are known for taking bright objects back to their nests, or their inquisitiveness- when I walk into an antique shop. I am usually drawn to the old postcards, magazines, books, posters, and records. I occasionally buy something, but not usually, unless I am on a vacation. The other day, I almost bought an old Nancy Drew mystery. The cover, the smell, brought back so many memories.

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered something really exciting. I went to the Family History building and scanned 158 pictures and/or memorabilia from a trip Rick and I took. The feeling was liberating. I felt like I could organize some of my piles. I can now scan some of these programs, ticket stubs, and categorize these things. I can compartmentalize, classify, label, or group them and make photo albums. I came to a conclusion years ago while I watched my step-dad look through his scrapbooks. Those scrapbooks made him light up and tell stories about his life. He knew why something was placed on the page, and even though it was labeled "My 100 Mile Race", that label did not tell half of the story that came out of his mouth. But, none of his scrapbooks, or his items were as important to anyone else as they were to him. They brought him enjoyment, and nostalgia of times when his body could run.

We always think that others will appreciate our scrapbooks or photo albums, but for the most part, unless they are about them, they don't really care about them at all. They (our loved ones) will pick out the important pictures of ourselves, and throw all the rest away unless it means something to "them." Is it important? Yes!! Tangible evidence of our lives is always important. Writing in our journals is important. So, my goal is to organize my "tokens of love and thoughtfulness," and my travel journeys to mean something more to me than thrown into a box, and hopefully more to others someday. When I am old, I know I will enjoy looking at them like my step-dad, to "remember the moments and the people they represent."