Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Treasure Tuesday


This clock was a treasure. Yep I know the picture is not clear and if I had taken it to the Antiques Roadshow(which I watch), they would have said that I wasn't worth much. But, it was the only thing I had that belonged first to my great grandmother Sandford and then to my Grandmother. My uncle had it for a while too, but one time when he and his family were moving, I fished it out of the trash( he had thrown it out because it quit working).

I don't have it any longer either. It was stolen when our house was burglarized last year.

That burglary proved to me that where your heart is, is where your treasure lies. I realized that attaching memories to objects and then holding on to those objects can hold you down to this earth. I was a packrat. I had kept too many things. We had moved from a small house to this large one and it was still packed with things.

After the burglary, I watched an organizing show on TV and the person who was helping the packrat get rid of stuff told her this: "If it is so important, you need to display the object in a place of honor. BUT, things are not memories. You don't need things to keep your memories alive." I remember that when I want to packrat.

This helped me lately when we were unloading the container into our newly built garage. I was able to let go of a lot of things that I had made into treasures and they really weren't. I was able to pass on collections and clothing by donating them. And, more importantly, I am no longer the receiver of all the things my relatives no longer want.

So now treasures are real treasures. All my little ceramic and metal boxes were stolen and recently my aunt gave me a new one. It's a treasure that I don't have a picture of yet.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I"m just the opposite. I get rid of things too quickly, then wish I had them again. lol

I am so sorry you lost your clock in a burglary. That sounds like a very traumatic thing.

Hey, I also have a china display case exactly like that! Mine is stained a maple color, but I love the dark stain on yours better...hmmm.

I'm rushing to finish this up because my ride for the prayer quake is here. I will let you know how it is.

{{hug}}
Christie

Carol said...

When I'm on vacation with just one suitcase, I understand how little I really need to possess in order to survive. And I would be quite content to do so if it meant getting to stay on vacation and not go home.