I have a tiny tea cup that I got at a church fair when I was about 5 years old. It’s porcelain and has tiny flowers painted on it. There is gold trim on the handle and on the lip. I remember giving the lady my ticket and putting my fishing pole over the wooden wall of the fishing booth. There was a tug on the other end and I lifted the pole to find the tiniest tea cup attached to the hook. I was mesmerized. It was beautiful, very unique, and it was mine. I left that booth holding the tea cup in both hands and ran to show it to my Mother. I still have it – I’ve moved with it fifteen times and keep it in my nightstand. I take it out occasionally to look at it, but I haven’t told any of my kids or my husband about it. No reason – I just haven’t.
I don’t why it’s so important to me. Maybe because I grew up in a poor household or because I had four other siblings and most things were community property. I don’t have any other mementos from my childhood. I have photos and memories, and I’ve gathered other items that were in my home when I was growing up: quilts that my Mother made, a table that my father made in 8th grade for his woodshop project, my Mom’s Bible and her class ring. But that tiny tea cup always has been mine. Maybe I’ve poured the essence of my childhood into that tiny vessel.
When my husband asks me what I’d like as a gift for Christmas or my birthday, I usually suggest a tickets to a great concert or a music festival – or a trip or adventure with family or friends. I choose the experience over material things every time. I get to look forward to and plan the adventure, I get to be in the moment with people that I love, and then I get to reminisce about it later when I look at photographs. I hold the photograph with both hands and run to show it to others.
The lyrics to the Simon and Garfunkel song Bookends are:
“Time it was, and what a time it was,
It was a time of innocence, a time of confidences
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories, they’re all that’s left you.”
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Great post. Loved reading your story Kim. Made me think of all the little trinkets I used to have when I was a kid. Got rid of most of it during a purging session a while back though. You can’t keep every item, but you can keep pictures of those items. For me, the best thing about photos is that they have the power to trigger amazing memories. And the older we get, the more triggers we need. 🙂