Sunday, November 25, 2007

sentimental value

I have a way of placing a sentimental value on certain items.  This means I own a few things that are irreplaceable.

There's a tooled leather checkbook cover that Cliff's boss's son, Tom, made for me in 1969.  I'd cry if anything happened to that.  I don't know why it means so much, except that it was a gift out of the blue, entirely unexpected.

There's my "lucky hat", a warm, knit stocking-cap that originally belonged to Cliff's sister's second husband.  Don't ever try taking that thing; I can't find another like it; I've tried.

The same with the hooded sweatshirt my son got in basic training twenty-two years ago, the one that says, "Pain purifies".  It has my son's last name on the back, in big letters (mine too, of course).  When I'm cremated, I want to be wearing that sweatshirt.  At my age, I realize that pain had darned well better purify, because I'm going to be dealt plenty of it.

There's this huge, stainless steel pan I use when I'm making spaghetti for company, or cooking a double batch of noodles.  Cliff's sister gave me this thing years ago so I'd be able to "feed the masses", back when I cooked for the family all the time.

No other pan could signify the love my sister-in-law put into that gift.  If anything happened to make it unusable, I'd turn it into a flower pot before I'd toss it in the trash.

I value things like that, things that remind me that "somebody cared".  It wasn't Christmas.  It wasn't my birthday.  Somebody just wanted to give me a gift for the heck of it. 

It's a big, harsh, uncaring world out there.  We'd better cherish every gift of love we're given.

Like, for instance, the gift God gave us when Jesus came into the world.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

GIFTS ARE so special ...The whole month of December my journal is going to reflect on those GIFTS.  The season of love and peace is here and I'm going to do my part to make this old world seem not so harsh and cruel.  You are sooooo right.  We need to treaure those gifts,  there is nothing that can replace them.
'On Ya' - ma

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful entry!  I have several things I treasure....that wouldn't be worth 50 cents to anyone else.  But to me they are priceless!  I always say it's the little things that mean so much.

Hollie

Anonymous said...

Your talent for writing is amazing.  I think it is because it all comes from your heart.  

Anonymous said...

Yes I can relate. Some things given out of love or out of thoughtfulness from someone special mean a great deal.

Anonymous said...

I think that the material things that mean the most to me are also gifts that came out of the blue.
Lori

Anonymous said...

My problem is that when something becomes that special to me, I don't want to use it - I want to "save" it. We need to use the things we love :-)

xoxo