Trinkets

I wanted to share a closer look at some of my favorite trinkets and collections. Most aren't worth much in dollars and cents, but they mean a lot in memories of loved ones.

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My Willow Tree collection is growing, those sweet figurines my children give me on special occasions. I treasure each one.

One of my most cherished possessions is the little rose-shaped box.

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Inside is my mother's first wedding ring, the one she wore for 20 years, until my dad bought her a bigger one in 1973. He used to joke that you needed a magnifying glass to see the diamond chip in this one. It was all he could afford as an 18-year-old newlywed working at a gas station.

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Yet this is the ring I remember from my childhood. It was so sacred to Mom that the only time she ever took it off was when she had surgery and the nurses made her remove it.

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My sister Karla has Mom's other set of rings.

This small chest was a Mother's Day gift from my mother to my grandmother, Myrtle Butler, around 1970.

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It's carved from incolay stone, a mixture of colored quartzes used for cameos.

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When I admired the craftsmanship, Grandma told me it would be mine when she passed away. Later, when we moved away, she sent a letter to remind me of her promise.
When my mother passed away, many of the old family heirlooms she'd collected throughout her life were divided up among us.

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This tiny, delicate fan belonged to my Great Grandma Elsie Jane Beierschmitt, my Grandma Alta Haley's mother. She died when I was a toddler, so I never really knew her.

The rings at left were also great grandma's. I like to think of them on her rough, hard-working hands.

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The cut-glass necklace was also hers, but Grandma Haley gave it to me herself about 30 years ago. It's one of my favorites.

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Grandma brought me the blue delft pendant from her visit to Aunt Bertha's family in Holland in 1971.

In the center of my dresser is a glass dome bearing the Evenstar of Arwen Undomiel, a pendant worn in the Lord of the Rings films, first by the Elf-lady Arwen and then by her love, Aragorn.

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I've also collected Galadriel's mother-of-pearl brooch from the same films, as well as a Leaves of Lorien necklace.

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I do so love Middle Earth!

So many meaningful trinkets, but I'll end with these.

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My children's baby rings are precious, of course. Sarah's ring was also my baby ring.

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I chose the turtle pins, the rose in the cube, and the heart-shaped abalone pendant because they make me feel like a small child again, sneaking into Mom's jewelry box to peek at them!
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These will all go to my children and grandchildren someday, and now they know some of the stories behind these small heirlooms. I hope they will cherish them as I do.