Most of us have a least a few keepsakes from our past. These items might have sentimental value attached to a time, a place, or a special person. Some keepsakes can even become valuable collectors items.
My keepsakes include a few knickknacks, postcards, letters, and paper items such as brochures. There are a few that I have on display while most are stored away in boxes or storage drawers. Those who might be unaware of the personal value these keepsakes have for me might consider my accumulation clutter, but they are important to me.
Some of the things that I've kept I can hold in my hands and look at to take me to a time in my past. Rarely do I run across any of my kept items and forget where it came from or why I have it. After I've left this earth perhaps my children will discard these items as junk. After all, little of any of it actually has much if any monetary value.
We tend to keep things for the memories that we attach to them. These memories can be important when writing memoir. Undoubtedly there will be times in the future where I'll dig out old items that I've hung onto and let the memories prompt my writing. Keepsakes can have great value to us individually yet seem meaningless to the unknowing person who sees them as something merely to throw away.
Do you have a special place where you keep things of personal sentimental value? What kinds of things do you have that you would call "keepsakes"? Have you made any provision for your keepsakes after you've left this earth?
I do have a lot of keepsakes. I kept a lot of the stuff from my children's early years in their baby books, which I really need to filter through to separate the must keep from the junk. Like you, most of my keepsakes are not worth anything other than the memories attached with each little momentum. I have not thought about who gets what once I'm no longer apart of this life. Hopefully, I won't have to worry with such things for many years yet, but I know it's something I should think about. I think it's important to place importance on who you want to have what before you do leave this world. My late MIL told me years ago, she wanted me to have her pearls after she died. I now have them and am honored that she wanted me to have them. Someday, I will pass them on to one of our daughters or daughter-in-law and hopefully it will be a special treasure to one of them.
ReplyDeleteI should start giving my kids the stuff that pertains to them. I'm not sure they care about much of my stuff.
DeleteLee
My house is full of keepsakes that mean so much to me. Each one brings back memories of day trips or vacations or just funny stories. I haven't made any provision for them for after I die though....that's a scary prospect! It'll probably all end up in the Goodwill.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and I guess once we're gone we won't care that much about what happens to our stuff anyway.
DeleteLee
I have a few (thousand) keepsakes--mostly from my parents. :) I've told my kids that I don't expect them to keep my stuff as heirlooms or keepsakes. My things will never replace me and it just fills up attics. Anyway it's good to have stuff from the past, but I guarantee you it won't matter to my great great grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a shoebox for just such a thing... but a few moves later a calloused soul decided to let them go. Most of which I'm okay with.... I guess they won't be making a posthumous "museum of Chris" anyway...
ReplyDeleteKeepsakes were the impetus for my A-Z theme: I came across a ZipLock bag in a drawer that contained all of my concert ticket stubs. That was a bag full of memories there. I love keepsakes and I'm a sucker for sentimentality!
ReplyDeleteMichele at Angels Bark
I have quite a few keepsakes, but most of them came from my parents after they died. I have very few keepsakes of my own earlier life, which I regret. I would love to hold things from my childhood and remember where they came from, but I only have a few high school reports.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I don't have many keepsakes from my children either, due to moving house and marital problems when they were younger. :-(
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