front porch of the home where we gathered
I was invited to participate in a casual gathering where each of us would bring an object that held a memory for us, and we would share our memory with the group. We were instructed not to think about it ahead of time or plan what we would say. It helped that I wasn’t sure until just before we left that I would be able to go, and then I rushed to change my clothes and grab an object. Part of the problem for me is that I have many (some have said too many, but phooey on them) objects that hold memories for me, which is why I have so many objects I can’t part with! I went for one and thought it was too vague because it was associated with many memories; I started thinking he maybe meant one very specific memory. I went for another, my father’s class ring, also with many memories but holding one new and very specific one; then I thought I’d cry too much. I looked for my Greek doll my great grandparents gave me. I thought about the fairy tale book from my grandparents. My grandmother’s necklace. The Steiff donkey from my great uncle. The doll I got for my 7th birthday. One of the Nancy Ann storybook dolls that had been given to my mom as a child that she handed on to me. The list could have been nearly endless! Thankfully I mentioned to my husband the first thing that had come to my mind, and he didn’t know why I had questioned it. I grabbed it, and we went on our way.
Here are the pictures of our objects. The captions are intentionally brief because I did not ask permission to share the memories.
It is important to put time into our friendships.
Can you guess what it is? (note to A: I gave it a slightly jaunty tilt as a nod to its origin!)
Nuns, Robert Redford, and pot-throwing inspiration…
Appreciate your mother, and give credit to your guardian angel
New York adventure & the gift from a dear and bawdy friend. 
Seriously, is this just the best? HER DRESS COMES OFF. hahaha
Leatherback preservation & rescue
A traumatic move and the good that came of it. 
Broadening horizons figuratively and literally
Another traumatic move and more enlightenment.
Philosophical. Don’t search for lost horseshoes; they will find you.
and life-long tenderness for a beloved companion
Be there for your kids.
PS If you aren’t sure which sins you should avoid, your kids can tell you. 🙂
Don’t forget to wind your watch
Keep tradition.
Life is full of buried treasure
Recognize & keep yours
Embrace differences & find yourselves in them
When I was first contacted about this gathering, the idea behind it intrigued me, and I was excited to go. Then when it came together and I knew we were going, I froze. Panic. Who will be there? I don’t want to talk in front of everyone. I don’t want to share. What if I cry? I almost didn’t go. (I’ve been told I hide it well, but going to gatherings causes me deep anxiety. Even when it’s people I know.) But my husband was looking forward to it, which surprised me, so I walked over on wobbly legs.
I was rewarded. The similarities that kept popping up delighted me. Who would think in a small gathering (12 people) in a rural area that we would have three girls who were uprooted to move halfway across the country — or world — to a “foreign” place in high school? Two of them from Ohio to Louisiana! Two people whose items were related to when they lived in … Hawaii! Two whose objects were pottery items they had made themselves. Two who had the experience of working with a leatherback turtle nest and assisting the hatching baby turtles. Two POW bracelets. The similar experiences kept popping up among everyone. I found that I had something in common with everyone, including new discoveries of similarities with people I’ve known for decades. And a member of the group informed us that our son had a very similar object as my husband and obtained in quite the same manner – at close to the same age – a fact about which we were previously unaware.
What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.