(Welcome again to Sarah, one of the finalists for a contributor position here at AT:Chicago. This is her second post...her first one is here. Comment away!)
My friend Genie is moving into my neighborhood (yay!) and as she lugs her stuff across town, we’ve been talking about the benefits of “personal inventory”—that process of packing up and moving on that happens when you relocate.
Forced to edit your possessions, you take stock of what you own and why.
With this in mind, I’ve been editing down and prioritizing things this week. I’ve realized that the things that matter most are the objects that connect me with other people. My grandma passed away last year and I’m grateful for the few things of hers that I kept.
I love her Blue Willow china, the same pattern that lined Maureen O’Hara’s cabinets in grandma’s favorite movie, “The Quiet Man.” Every once in a while, I even use it to carry on the Irish tradition of teatime—loaded with cookies, of course!
I also saved some of her books. My grandma was a librarian and a voracious reader, so she kept a large collection. Whenever I read one of her copies, I find little notes scrawled on the page. She would underline words she didn’t know, look them up, and write their definitions in the margins.
AT Readers: What are the things you’ll keep lugging with you no matter how many times you move, and why do they mean so much to you?
-Sarah
Jonya & Brad's Modern A–Frame 
Quick Cleaning Tip: Keep Baseboards Cleaner With Fabric Softner
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Essence Wine Glasse...
Mac and Cheese: The Secret to Making It Rich and Creamy
Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
Comments (8)
How sweet. My grandmother had blue willow china as well. My mom has her collection still.
Beautiful post. It's interesting how china can really take you back to place in your past. I can't part with my Grandfather's coffee mug, for instance... every time I see it I'm taken back to my grandparents shag carpeted parlor.
Love the old book covers too!
oh that's so wonderful to have those memories of your grandmother and reminders of your time with her! i've only recently started to inherit family "heirlooms". i know i could never part with my parents wedding album. even the thought of sharing it with my brothers makes me all territorial. maybe they'll accept some scanned copies.
What a moving post! I relate completely. My grandma was a chef and I move around her Le Crousset pot, several casseroles, and pasta maker. I still have one of her knives.
wow, this post really hits home for me.
My mother passed away 2 months ago. My brother, sister and I have the unenviable job of clearing out all her stuff so we can put the house on the market.
What a surprise to find out that my mom kept every single letter I wrote from my first sleep-away camp through my post-college years! (Thank goodness for email!)
It's been killing me to throw this stuff out or arrange for buyers who pay us pennies on the dollar. But I can't be saddled with a houseful of stuff in my small(ish) apartment.
My solution will be to put together a box of memorabilia; a pair of china teacups, her recipe collection, a book or two, some photos, etc. I think it will be enough.
Kathryn, thanks for your story. It must have been an amazing moment when you discovered how much your mother loved your letters. That's the thing about objects -- sometimes they can speak for a person even when that person is gone.
I understand the memorobilia issue -- my grandmother was a notorious horder, but I didn't want to throw out her files because they were full of research she'd done on our Irish lineage. I culled everything down to 2 boxes, and I'm still editing. The other items I kept are the ones I can use -- her tea set, a few books, a vintage sweater. The real treasures are the ones you carry in your memory.
As Oprah as this may sound, this post and everyone's comments made me tear up a little from my office chair. I think I sometimes forget how intensely personal design/keepsakes can be. These are great ideas about how to keep memories fresh and constant.
Even though modern is the "in" thing right now I prefer when its mixed with some traditional pieces. That china has soul, it has a story behind.