Sen·ti·men·tal (adjective)
of or prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia.
Isn't it odd, that at face value, things, don't hold people inside them....I mean at face value, that tricycle you have sitting in the garage from your now, teenage son, may not have much value, but it actually does.
Because think about it- you look at that tricycle and immediately, you get a flash back at your rowdy toddler and his red helmet, the toothy grin and endless joy radiating off his body. If you hadn't glanced at that tricycle, that's been sitting in the garage even after he is far too big for it, that flash-back, may not have come to fruition.
Objects conjure memories and that is a gift.Along with that gift, is also sadness, not only because of the stirred emotion, but because you can find yourself wondering what other items have been tossed, donated, or forgotten about, that carried the ability to evoke a memory that you can never get back.
Letting go is painful.When you think about your belongings or the belongings of your loved ones, it can be easy to understand why people become hoarders. Those who have lost so much, are forever scared of losing more. So, holding onto things, no matter the clutter or filth that’s created, allows them to feel whole. To remanence daily, and to be reminded of those they love and have lost.
I will be the first to admit, I am a very sentimental person.
I enjoy things that remind me of my loved ones, of moments in time, and places I've been. No matter how big or how small, that remembrance, that moment in time where I can sit and enjoy the flash back, is so glorifying to me!
In my home, I have an old rocking chair that belonged to my Nannie. She was all but 4'2 at her ripe age of 89, and this rocking chair fit her stature perfectly. In my dining room, I now house this chair, the fabric may not look as it once did when it was new, and the size sure doesn't measure up to my 6'2" husband and my ever-growing boys, but when I walk past my dining room, or we sit and enjoy our evening dinner, I get a flash-back of my Nannie- her big round glasses and beaming eyes. Her white hair and walker- that lady was my everything to me, at just 2 years old- all from an old rocking chair.
In my dining room, I also have a hutch that belonged to my Nana. What was once filled with Asian inspired trinkets, glassware, and miniature glass cats, now has become home to picture frames and ashes of loved ones we miss dearly. I am fortunate enough to not mind whether it did or not, but the hutch matches quite well with my farmhouse dining table, but more importantly, I am reminded of my favorite person in the world and am able to house things that are most important to me and my family.
Whether you are purposefully sentimental or not, there is an overwhelming amount of joy and gratitude that comes from glimpses of moments in time, when we find objects that conjure up some of life's most precious memories. What is really cool about acknowledging this as a parent, is knowing that my children, will too, glance at objects that immediately take them back to a specific moment in time… And although I pray that each object conjures positive and happy moments, I know that that, is out of my control. What I can control, is bringing light and love to each and every day that we share together, and encourage them to make positive, everlasting memories, everyday! As a child, I vividly remember sitting in our blue rocking chair, in our pink house on Briargate, and my mom telling my brother and I to close our eyes, tightly, and to make a memory. To remember that very moment…
When visiting with your loved ones this holiday season, I encourage you, to take an extra glance around and take in the objects that you have likely overlooked in the past. Sometimes, the most ordinary and practical objects, hold the most love.
Cheers,
Kelleen
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