My mom always knew what to keep. Not the big thing, the expensive thing, or even the expected thing, but little objects—often those we didn’t really think that much about—that she had the foresight to tuck away and later give to us. She seemed to know what mattered and took care to keep those items.
As a child, one of my tasks on every family camping trip was to sweep out the big canvas tent before we took it down, and my mom saved the whisk broom that I used. She kept a four-leaf clover my dad picked from the front yard of our childhood home. She saved notes I gave her, plus little trinkets and even seeds harvested from the green bean plants that grew in our garden. What she kept and later gave to me were small things that had meaning or practicality, not weighty or obligatory things.
My mom’s button box, actually an old candy tin, was stored near her sewing machine. As children, my siblings and I were allowed to play with the multitude of buttons provided we returned them all when finished. I remember spreading out the buttons on the floor and arranging them into colorful designs.
Among the buttons in the tin were large black plastic ones with anchors on them, and these we put on the front of our snowman to complete his ensemble of carrot nose, hand-me-down scarf, floppy hat, stick arms, and charcoal eyes and mouth.
My mother gave the button tin to me, and the snowman button is one of my favorite keepsakes. Snowman-building season is here, and the snowman button was on my mind. I took it to Sherburne Jewelers, a favorite local jeweler, and had it wrapped in silver and made into a pendant, so I could wear it as a necklace.
Perhaps now I am the snowman, wearing my button and carrying memories of playing in the snow with my siblings. Do you have a treasure that evokes a particular memory? How do you keep that object? We would love to hear.
[Photography by Moon Lake Multimedia. All rights reserved.]
Barbara
The smell of the tin, the feel of the buttons, and the joy of precious family. Thank you for reminding all of us about the true gifts in life.
Susan Clark
Barbara, I love your description. I also remember the sound of the buttons spilling out of the tin. The simple things really are among the truest gifts.
Pam David
What a touching story.
I love the necklace, but more importantly, the memories it brings to mind. Recently, I was with a group of women, and we talked about the games that we used to “play” with buttons. “Button, button, who’s got the button?” Another was a single button that was put on thread. We would spin it, winding it very tightly, then pull on the ends and it would hum. Simple pleasures…
Susan Clark
Pam, I had totally forgotten about putting a button on a thread and spinning it! What a sweet memory it brings; I’m so glad you shared it. I too have talked with others who grew up playing with buttons. I loved all the colors, and at one point, when I was really young, I thought the silver and gold color ones were real silver and gold. Oh yes, those simple pleasures…