“What We Keep”

My alma matter posted an article (by Bill Shapiro and Naomi Wax) asking people to comment on the importance of ONE object they keep. One poster wrote about how he keeps an ax from his grandfather’s farm because he remembers chopping wood with his grandfather whenever he went to visit his farm. Another keeps a card game which he played often with his child after his divorce. It was the one thing the child asked him if he saved the card game after a recent flood. Another person saves a pearl necklace which has no monetary value but reminds her of her great-grandmother escaping Europe and passing the necklace on to the next generations. I hear a lot from clients and friends who talk about different objects from their parents or grandparents, their children or someone else important in their life. These are objects they want to pass on to their next generation or hold on to. Objects wrapped in memory enrich our lives but can become burdensome when there are too many to hold on to or the memories don’t have the same resonance for others. If you could pick one item that you value the most, what would that be? I’d love to hear from you about that one object you cherish.