Sentimental Dusting

My husband and I tonight were cleaning and moving around our living room. We are officially 100% finished our home! Well until the next quest.........the nice part of tonight was we moved my one and only display cabinet back into our living room. This is a cabinet I've had since eighteen years old. Inside are sentimental items that I've been keeping for over twenty years! While I was dusting, I found our eleven year olds baby foot, I found our eight year old son's thumb. At the top of this cabinet I and my husband's cake topper sits from 1999! It was a red and white wedding, the cake topper now looks like a light purple. The reason I kept this (made of royal icing) is because our wedding vehicle model sits nicely on top that we built together. Inside is us, little people with distorted eyes. I tried to dust it but the little tiny pretend flower buds all over the car were falling off. It was a fond day to remember. I sat dusting and it triggered conversation with our eleven and thirteen year olds. I explained that life moves quickly and these are just little reminders for me of my past. Most of the items were over 20 years old. There was always a story behind them. Sometimes another Country. So while I dusted and was putting away, I reminded them that this is an area not to be tampered with. "Please don't" I expressed. I continued to show them a little crystal angel that was holding my birth stone. This little angel was given to me over ten years ago from my boss. A boss that I loved dearly who isn't with us today. He wasn't just my boss, he was a part of my life. So items aren't just items sometimes......they have meaning behind them. My three sons seemed like they were listening closely. So I picked out three ornaments that were over twenty years old, they have some value, a sentimental attachment for me and I said, "This is now yours" I explained it's history, the value and what it meant for me. I'm hoping these little objects will hold some value for them too. This is the first time for them I made the attempt to give them something important to look after. What I hope is;  it means as much to them, as my angel does to me. It is teaching them that it's not the object itself but the meaning behind it, for them - I hope it's me. I hope they realize that I cherished this item for over twenty years, the dust is well established and I gave it from my heart. I always write about how material items aren't important so here I am being slightly hypocritical about some of my ornaments but it's like pictures, you pick it up, look at it and it brings back so many memories of something or someone. That's what makes it special, really not the item itself but the background of its existance. So our boys left happily holding in their hands their Mother's sentimental treasures. I felt good giving them these in hopes they'll hold them tight remembering it's not about the item, it's its history. So we will see........it's a beginning and I really hope it was a night of dusting that they'll never forget.