This week: Five minutes on COLLECT
I've spent several days in the past two weeks going through my parent's history, their parent's history, my history. It has been one of the most challenging things to filter through the dusty cobweb-y, coated boxes and find the treasures that are hidden among the mountains of words (newspaper, correspondence, journals, sermon notes, church bulletins, etc.), slides, photos, china, paintings, stamps, Native American antiques- carvings, baskets, dolls, etc.
Beloved items are kept, the blessings typewritten by parents long moved to Heaven treasured and re-read, the sacred memories stirred can never be fully contained. The good items and history documented, are let go or shipped off to those who might find value there, potential treasures for others. The "stuff" - dust coated pencil toppers of silly characters, random photos of unknown places and things, and magazines galore is launched into giant dumpster with gusto.
Memories, experiences, love, will never be contained. I am once again reminded how important it is to COLLECT and give those things that never COLLECT dust, provide homes for spiders, or take up life-spaces.
Stop.
How wonderful to have a rich family legacy! Scores of people don't have that in their lives. We do need to treasure it. Thanks for sharing, Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteThis is thought-provoking especially bcs we know the pencil toppers and photos meant something at that time! It makes your last sentence that much more powerful and challenging!
ReplyDeleteCollecting things that never collect dust - exactly! Where moth and rust does not destroy....those things of eternal value.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck as you continue to sort and sift through all those treasures and things.....
I collect graces, the immanence of God's love in the darkness of terminal illness.
ReplyDelete#1 at FMF this week.
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/07/your-dying-spouse-339-revelation-and.html
Beautiful post and it reminds me of the memories we collect.
ReplyDelete