Sentimental value

These were my late mother's favourite earrings! Every time I look at them or wear them I remember her and I remember two particular photos of her as a young woman, before I was born, looking very pretty and wearing those earrings. They are not worth much because they don't have the gold mark and the "diamonds" are just glass but I would be devastated if they were to get damaged, lost or stolen.

I could have chosen quite a few other items of sentimental value because you may as well know - I come from a long line of hoarders. My mother used to quote my grandmother or grandfather (I can't recall exactly) on the virtues of putting away stuff that was of no use in the present because it would one day be needed. She usually came up with this quote when my father or I wanted to declutter!

With the passage of time, I followed in her footsteps, so for me decluttering is something which never seems to get done properly. Moving house is a nightmare! When we moved from Zimbabwe, my father built two enormous crates that were filled with much of our stuff. A few years ago I inherited my parents' house and I still have too much clutter there. It's amazing how much a small family can accumulate over a period of 20 years!

It was only when I moved to the Algarve and lived in a rented, furnished house for the first year that I realised, to my great surprise, that I didn't miss most of the things I had left behind. 

The smallest things can hold the fondest memories!

To see what fellow bloggers attach sentimental value to, visit Jake´s blog.