I come from a line of women who loved to collect things. In fact, I believe my mother and grandmothers loved collecting collections. After many years of helping my grandfather run a dairy, upon his passing, my grandmother took over the family hardware store. This was a tough job, but it also rewarded her many paid vacations around the world based on her high sales. She and my aunt's mother-in-law got to see many great things and places.
It was during these travels that my grandmother began to collect spoons and bells. They were proudly displayed in her cozy kitchen. And no doubt, as she glanced at them throughout her days, memories would pop up of lands that a small farm girl likely never thought she would see.
My grandma Brannan did not travel the world. I actually can't recall her ever leaving her home state of Alabama unless it was to visit her children. She loved to garden and read books, so her collections were of porcelain flowers and birds. The display piece where she held them to my memory was one of the nicest pieces of furniture she owned. She also collected books about various topics such as theology, gardening, and romances.
All the ladies in my family have collected things as a hobby throughout my growing years, and I am no different. Collecting things often gives a sense of meaning and even identity. When shopping, I quickly find myself drawn to my grandmother's Milk Glass or my mother's Blue Willow. Although we should not be humans driven by "things", they do seem to offer us comfort and stability, anchoring us into our personal history, reminding us of people, places, or even phases in our lives.
It was thinking about this the other day when wondering if my love of things was a bit too much. The Bible says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. (Matthew 13:44)
Within the walls of my home are multiple bookcases filled with books both old and new, some handed down to me, some even from my childhood. I have some of my grandmother's birds and flowers. I also have many of my other grandmother's cloth napkins and tablecloths. I have replicas of the Blue Willow I ate on as a small child that I have gathered when shopping. And I have my own new collections of costume jewelry, grandchildren's artwork, and one small piece of clothing from each of my grands when they were small babies.
There is a lot of stuff filling my cabinets, shelves, and dresser drawers. Stuff that if gone tomorrow would just be stuff no longer around. Room left open for more stuff. And maybe that is just the point. The same book of the Bible tells us, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) It is not the actual things that hold such importance, but the connection of past to present as I set my Easter Table with Grandma's gold cloth napkins and celebrate the symbols that represent those people and places we were blessed to enjoy in this lifetime.
