Sentimental

4/25/2015

Some of my friends tell me that I'm too sentimental, and I'm okay with that label.  As a mother of three children who worked full-time, I had little time to ponder keeping the boys' artwork, etc.  It seems that when you're in the moment, you believe you'll remember always what the kids are doing and when they did it.  I hope your memory is better than mine, because I can't recall with any clarity who did what and when.  Sad, but true.  I know I'm not alone when it comes to try and keep your children's childhoods.  

Then Benjamin came along.  I was working full-time that was true, but I was filled with the urgent desire to save most of the things he has made over the past seven years.  And yes, my cedar chest is overflowing and threatening not to close soon!

When I receive something from Benjamin, I turn the item over, date it and add his age.  Now when I rummage through the memories in my cedar chest, I can see the progression of not only Benjamin's artwork, animals made from clay and all the cards he has ever made for me.

Why do I keep so many things?  Why do I date them?  I keep these things because a child is only "x" years old only for one year.  I have learned that it's difficult to go back and capture memories.  You need to memorialize them right now, while you know how old the child is and what year the artwork, etc. was made.

I didn't do a very good job of keeping a lot of what the boys made when they were young, and I regret that.  But hindsight doesn't do me any good.  What I can do and am doing, is to catalog (if you will) the things Benjamin has made for me.  

Most of the things in my cedar chest are good memories.  Others are not, but they are still worth remembering.  

P