As you know, I’ve been downsizing and ridding myself of “stuff” I’m no longer using or need. But with the passing of my mother, I find myself upsizing. I’m having a hard time letting go of some of her “stuff”.
How does one decide what to keep or not to keep? Do you give the ones you don’t want away or do you sell them? Do you keep the items that mean something only from your childhood even though that memory is flitting or what about the items from later on in your life?
Here are just a few of my Mom’s things that have been tugging at my memories of her from my early childhood.
Mom's Rubbings
The first time we lived in Bangkok, Thailand, my mother learnt how to do Thai Temple Rubbings. Though I have several of her rubbings framed and on my walls, I couldn’t get rid of the ones that were rolled up and tucked in her closet. In those loose ones were more from Thailand as well as the ones she did at St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula and at the Maharajah’s palace in India.
Another item was her tea/coffee china set with a large platter and bowl. She used these for those afternoon ladies’ gatherings when we lived in Japan in the
Cup and Saucer from Mom's China Set
50s. I didn’t realized that she had most of this set still intact and put away above her refrigerator. I’m not sure where she purchased this particular set but the memory has been with me for as long as I can remember.
Mom's Perfume Bottle
And then there are the items she kept on her dressing table. For a little girl, they were fascinating items. And even as a grown woman, they still fascinate me. This particular perfume bottle was always there. I have no memory of the scent from this particular perfume bottle nor of my mother using it. The bottle was just there no matter where we lived.
For some years now, I have had some of Mom’s things mixed in with mine. Though nothing can take the place of our mothers in our hearts, these new items give me great comfort and help ease the ache in my own as I go through the grieving process of losing her.