Treasured possessions-Mountain Rock. M

[Sugarbell]

When DH first died...I was fuming angry and gave away the majority of his stuff. I hung onto his ties, college class ring and watch. But I regret getting rid of so many things so early.

 

However...in recent years my son and I have really gotten into landscaping the yard. I have five large flower beds and the back of the yard is landscaped. My first few years I was so out of it and raising babies that I was lucky to get the yard mowed...never dealt with the flower beds.

 

But now-working in the landscaping-I keep uncovering large mountain rocks that we got on our trips to the mountains-From various rivers, mountain tops, places. People used to think we were crazy because every trip (and we were in the mts at least twice a month before kids/dating) we would haul 2 rocks in the jeep.

 

And now...the yard looks like it did when he was alive (finally)....And I have these rocks...these unique small boulder like rocks that set off the landscaping. Each one has a story-each one from a special place. They were too big to just throw away....in all the craziness of the first few years they were forgotten....but not lost.

 

All the "stuff" he had...and my most prized possession...the link and stories I get to share with my kids...are in these beautiful rocks in our landscaping...and we uncover different ones...that were buried under layers and years of mulch and dirt.

 

We both had gypsy souls....we both loves the mts and outdoors. I am so grateful I still have this connection to him.

 

What are your most prized possessions from your late spouse?

[SoVerySad]

That brought tears to my eyes, SB. How wonderful for you to have those rocks. I love the idea of the permanence of rocks as a metaphor for the permanence of your memories. Those rocks weathered through all these years, just as your good memories weathered the storm of the anger and sadness of those understandably difficult years.

 

I have an extensive collection of Christmas ornaments. When T and I were dating, we started buying an ornament as a souvenir anytime we went away. After almost 30 years together, I am left with quite a few ornaments. It was always so much fun each year to unwrap them and put them on the tree. We would reminisce about our travels, etc. Over time, the kids have learned and remembered where some came from. I have been thinking for some time about photographing them and making a scrapbook listing where they came from just so there is a record. Maybe I'll try to get that done this year.

 

These past two Christmases without T have been very painful to unwrap those ornaments without him. The kids really wanted their tree as they've always had, so I forced myself to make that happen. I'm glad I did as I spent many hours when I couldn't sleep looking at that tree of memories. It reaffirmed how blessed I was.

 

 

 

 

[widowat33]

Both very nice treasures. It's amazing how the connection to a loved one might not be something obvious to others, but special just the same. In fact I think that makes it even more special.

I haven't gotten rid of anything, yet. I have his stuff packed away and stored, except for certain stuff that I'm just not ready to put away. I was even holding onto a half drank water bottle I found in his hunting stuff, I finally threw it away.

I wouldn't even know where to start as each thing holds a story of some kind of connection to him...

I am landscaping right now, and there are two things that will be in my yard which are special to me. The first is an arbour that came with the house when we bought it, he died ten months after we moved in so he never got to enjoy a summer here, but a few weeks before he died he built flower boxes onto the end of the arbour. We've had to move it to level out the yard a little but we were very careful and it will be going back where he put it. The second is a group of tree stumps. We had cedar trees growing way too close to the house, so he cut them down. As he was cutting the last and largest tree he asked me to hold it while he went to get something. He didn't make it ten feet away when the tree started cracking and falling down right towards the house. Of course I jumped out of the way and luckily there was no damage to the house but he always teased me after that about not holding up this huge tree. My father in law pulled out the stumps and I saved them to use them in a fairy/gnome garden I will be making once the yard is done.

[ATJ]

All the "stuff" he had...and my most prized possession...the link and stories I get to share with my kids...are in these beautiful rocks in our landscaping...and we uncover different ones...that were buried under layers and years of mulch and dirt.

 

 

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot.

In your soul are infinitely precious things

that cannot be taken from you."

 

~~ Oscar Wilde

 

 

 

 

"The human heart has hidden treasures,

In secret kept, in silence sealed! "

 

~~ Charlotte Bronte

 

 

ATJ

 

 

 

 

[lcoxwell]

I would have to say that my most treasured possession is Kenneth's black cowboy hat. He was wearing it in the first picture I ever saw of him (and he sure looked good in that picture  ).He wore it to our wedding, and you can see him wearing it in my profile picture. Kenneth also wore that hat in every other picture we ever had made, professionally.

 

My Kenneth truly loved that black cowboy hat. For thirteen years, he talked about being buried in that hat, unless I chose to cremate him. For thirteen years, I promised him I would. When the time came, though, I just couldn't bear to part with it. It's the one promise I didn't keep, but I think he would understand and forgive me for it.

 

 

[Carey]

My response was the same as SVS.....definitely the Christmas ornaments. I have ALWAYS been a Christmas girl, I usually have multiple trees, start decorating the first of November...when people think of me they think of Christmas and the Beach.  Other than that, Chad really was not into "stuff" and didn't have much at all. I was shocked how little he had.  My son has his tools and house stuff. I sleep in his tee shirts a lot. I'm a very sentimental person and will probably never ever throw anything away, right down to the bits and scraps of paper that he wrote jet engine schematics on. I have NO idea what they mean but he touched them and it's his handwriting.  We used to go shelling together a lot and I have a huge collection of those ... one in particular he found with his feet in about 6 feet of ocean water and worked almost an hour to get it out of the sand to present to me... he was SO excited because it was whole...one of my best memories of him