On...Sentiment

Tarnished silver, but sparkling memories

While packing I have found that the little things go in little boxes but for numerous reasons take lots of time. The "jewelry" drawer doesn't really hold any of the jewelry that I actually wear, but it is a dimensional tribute to past mother's day trinkets of laminated pink hearts and ribbons, Christmas pins that still sparkle with reflection of my little boys eyes, bought with saved change and thoughts of it twinkling bright on my coat collar.
The beautiful silver souvenir I purchased in Mexico was worn a few times until it needed silver polish...and then, its home became the jewelry drawer for unworn jewelry...my own personal land of misfit "toys". 


Picking up brass pins that represented a small achievement brought me back to high school and I stopped in thought to reminisce, only for my brief memory to be interrupted by the sight of a piece of paper peeking from under the Rudolph necklace made of clothespins, googly eyes and jingle bells.  The paper wraps a small twist of driftwood and I go back to the beach with my daughter.  She gave me a spa day on Lake Michigan once, and this was the invitation to my day of indulgence.  I could clearly make out the palm tree drawing, and though the writing had faded...I knew what it said, even though the paper was now fragile and the creases were torn.  It said she loved her mom.  I am sure she doesn't know I still have this sweet sentiment.  A gift given of pure joy and creativity.  Obviously treasured.

Priceless sentiments

One by one I pulled out and examined the little trinkets and blasts from the past.  I needed to decide one thing...keep or toss, trying to be mindful of a long distance move and the fact that this might be a good time in my life to clean out the old.  But, though I could relinquish 4 large boxes of clothes, I couldn't let go of the tarnished silver pieces, paper necklaces, sparkly pins and gifts of small pendants from my grandma.  Really nothing was tossed...maybe an old orphaned  earring, a broken chain...but all in all, the jewelry drawer of misfits was nothing short of a scrapbook of photographs of good old times.  So, I gathered all the never used, but always saved, jewelry boxes stored in another drawer and I sorted all the sentimental pieces and notes into the boxes.

All  packed up

It should not have taken 3 hours to go through the one drawer, especially when it took 3 hours total to go through the closet and dresser drawers.  But, somehow it was much easier to "defrump" my closet than to give up the paper necklaces and sentimental notes. I now just have to decide the shipping value on the small treasures.   What happens if instead of a monetary insurance value you write "priceless"?  I think that the answer is that the box can't be shipped.  It will have to go in the car...because the value is just too high on sentiment.