Pieces of You

When people die we are often given some of their things. Things that were important to them or that we want to hang on to and then pass down. They are pieces of those people that we can hang on to and enjoy. They are sweet reminders of them. After my grandma died I was given many of her things. To some they mean nothing and I’m pretty sure my husband hopes that I don’t get any more stuff. He likes to keep things simple but to me they are meaningful and worth packing around for the next however many years. Some of the things that I got were her wedding china and silver which I can’t wait to use. I don’t have any. Some practical things were her bread machine which I also can’t wait to use. I got the sewing machine and all the goodies to go with it. Now I have to get better at sewing and use it. I have no excuse not to. I also got some of her every day jewelry. She loved to wear jewelry. It’s not expensive, just fun stuff and I often took note when she wore it. Honestly some of it feels a little bold for me but my husband tells me it looks great. I have an aversion to being noticed which means I often look plain. But that’s another blog post all together. It’s fun to have those necklaces but I have to say some of the things that I wish that I had aren’t “things.” I wish that I knew more about her life in general. The things that I just didn’t take time to talk about or ask on quick trips home are what I want to know now. It’s been a reminder to talk about those things with my kids, and hopefully my future grand kids. I want to tell them the things that are most important to me. Talk about important issues in life as well as the trivial things. I need to be intentional in relationships. I tell staff that I work with all the time that we have to be intentional but we have to be intentional in our family lives too. I know I’m stating the obvious but life is busy and has a way of getting away from us.