Memories

Not all collections are tangible.  This was never more evident to me than over this last weekend as I spent some time with my Dad and Grandma (Ma).  Daddy and Ma live in a residential care home in Tennessee, a few hours’ drive away from me.  So, this was my opportunity to spend some time with them, to celebrate Christmas and open gifts.  Daddy, who is 72, suffers from Dementia and Ma, 88, deals with the effects that age tends to take on a person…her memory is failing her.  It is hard to determine how much of my dad’s memories are still with him, but my sister and I are blessed that he still recognizes us and always appears to be glad to see us when we visit. 

At this visit, Ma needed a little help in remembering me when we arrived, but with a little reminder, seemed to know who “Cheryl” was.  It makes me wonder if she remembers all the times that we spent at her house for holiday family dinners, hunting Easter eggs, and Summer BBQs.  I wonder if she remembers the weeks in the summer that I would spend at her house when she would take me shopping and out to eat Pizza.  I remember lying in her bed with her at night, the windows open and the cool breeze blowing in on us as we listened to the sound of the mocking bird that lived in her tree just outside her window.  I remember the conversations we would have in the dark about that interesting bird and what we might do the next day, but does she remember any of that?  Is there any glimmer of those memories still with her? 

That leads me to today’s post…my collection of memories.  What will happen to them when I am older?  There are so many memories of my childhood and early adulthood that are already gone, I am sure.  But what will become of the fun times, my son’s birthday parties, family get-togethers, important life decisions, anniversaries, new homes, times when I nurse my family during sickness, vacations and fun with friends?  So…even though I have been somewhat active in collecting these memories, I want to spend more time on really documenting LIFE.  This new year, I resolve to video more everyday moments with my family and spend more time scrapbooking those memories that I know one day will be even more precious to me.  I’ve got a pretty good start, but in 2011, I will make more of an effort to preserve those memories that one day may fail me.  Even if I don’t need the reminders, someone else may need to see my memories when they can’t remember their own.

Daddy & Ma - Christmas 2010

…Stay tuned…my next post will focus on my scrapbook related collections.

Collection of Foreign Currency

This is the collection of foreign currency that was gifted to my niece.  I collected the currency from England and Switzerland myself and the ones from Mexico and China came from a dear friend who travels with his job, and the one from Saudi Arabia with the photo of Saddam Hussein was given to me by my husband's uncle who served in the U.S. Air Force.  The others were collected from various other places including my friend, Ebay.

Leandra & Marissa

Sharing

Over the years I've collected many things and in the process have gathered lots of STUFF!  So when I learned my two nieces were coming to visit over the Christmas holiday, I thought it was time to share some of my treasures.  So after all the gifts were opened and all the dishes were cleaned from lunch, I told them that they could choose 3 items from anywhere in my home that they would like to have for themselves and from their list of 3, I would decide which item they could have. I was quite surprised when my oldest niece, Leandra found some dust covered frames under my bed that were holding, you guessed it... a collection of foreign money, both paper and coins. And, oh my goodness...she added it to her list!  Knowing how much time and effort went into that collection, it took a little time to decide if that would be the item she could take.  The framed coins contained some old ones from when my husband's grandfather was in WWII, so we decided to keep the coins, But once I discovered that she would be hanging the other frames on the bare walls of her apartment, it was easy to let the collection go.  I will be glad that she is enjoying it and that it's not hiding anymore, covered in dust and left ignored.