A Keepsake is a memento, something you can give or something received that reminds you of a special event. It can be a souvenir, though I think of keepsakes as something sweeter, something that trigger’s wonderful memories and a souvenir as something you buy at Pedro’s when driving to Florida for spring break. Those kind of keepsakes have become an industry. Folks are always hawking coins, cups, and other “collectables” on TV. Did you get your memorial dish of the royal wedding? But are those things really worth keeping? Even the term “collectable” is relatively new…when did we start an obsession with collecting these so called collectables? 
Keepsakes are not new. People, it seems, have always had keepsakes of one sort or another. My most favorite keepsakes are those that are associated with the people I love more than places or events. Some of my favorite keepsakes are: a few of the menu’s from the SS France, a cruise I took with my parents when I was still in elementary school; crewel pillowcases I purchased in Afghanistan, a trip I took with my eldest step-son; the bouquet from my wedding; and ticket stubs from some amazing rock concerts from the ‘70s that I attended with the woman who is still my best friend! I also wear my grandmother’s wedding band (next to my own) as well as her engagement ring. These are real treasures to me. They represent not only the love of my Gram but also my love for my husband. I have some of my mother’s wedding crystal; I love those etched wine glasses. Much of my mother’s good jewelry was stolen though I do have her diamond wedding band. I wish we still had her charm bracelet. My Dad had the charms made up with his badge number and house numbers when he was a member of New York’s bravest…NYFD! I do have one of the charms that somehow evaded the thief. I plan on turning it into a ring. That will be a great keepsake.
Two Christmases ago I gave my husband a collage of photos of the kids. They were all photos taken at photo booths from many trips to the Jersey Shore and Lake George over the years as all as a set taken at a photo booth at a recent family wedding. Lots of memories in those photos. A great keepsake.
Do we always keep things that are worth keeping? My mother recently downsized and moved to a very small apartment. I was with her as she went through some her things and determined what she needed to give up. That was a difficult process. She would no longer have a large dining room so she had to get rid of the dining room set. That table was the center of our house. So many holiday and family dinners were shared at that table. Hours and Hours of love were shared around that table. I think that was the hardest thing she had to give up; not the actually table but actually having the space to host those family gatherings. One of my brothers now has her dining room set and we continue to share family dinners at that table. Christmas is now at my house but she still does the cooking! My mother has been living in her new place for several years now and I don’t think she ever gives a second thought to all the things she had to give up to make that move. She was able to let go and make the transition.
It seems we all keep a lot of stuff that we could let go of. This is especially true of those intangibles…stuff like bad memories, grudges, heartbreak; we tend to hoard that stuff like they were gold coins. Letting go of that stuff is a lot harder than giving away the family china. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could have a yard sale for that stuff? One table filled with childhood pains; another devoted to friendships that went south. Grievances….that would probably take a few tables. Since it’s my yard sale, I would add a table with pet-peeves…now those are things we keep that really serve no purpose. What would you put on your tables? Some expectations might be worth putting up for sale.
Who would come to such a sale you may ask? Well, God. He is an eager buyer just waiting for these sales. He combs the papers everyday searching for those of us ready to have yard-sales-for-soul. These sales are not easy; it takes work and commitment to give up our sense of indignation at old hurts.
But it’s what we are called to do: to forgive, to give God those burdens, to clean out those collections that destroy our souls and keep us in the cycle of old pain.
It may be time for all of us to downsize, myself especially included; to review our “collections” and determine what we have that really are keepsakes and what we keep that simply is krap.
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