I love your charm bracelets Lynda. I have a gold one and a Pandora. I have no idea what will happen to them (and everything else) after I'm gone. I hope someone puts their hand up to take over your bracelets and loves them as much as you do.
These are beautiful Lynda, I absolutely love a family treasure! have you written down the stories and the origins of all your treasure so at least people will realise what they meant to you?
Paul, I don’t have any relatives to pass mine down to. When I was teaching journal writing years ago one of the exercises I had my students write was a family heirloom. The neatest one was a kitchen table that was special because she and other siblings had been born on it!!
This really captures that weird tension between treasuirng something intensely and knowing it might mean nothing to anyone else. I've held onto a few objects like this—things that don't translate outside thier original context but still feel irreplaceable. The padlock clasp detail on your mom's bracelet is particularly striking since it's both functional and kind of symbolic. Sometimes I think documenting these things in writing is what lets them outlive their physical form anyway.
I love how you have stories and memories behind many of the charms on your bracelets -- the detail about your thread-bare blue jacket is great. I wonder if the inventor of charm bracelets would have guessed that the little dangling symbols would conjure such beautiful and lasting memories so many years later. I have a charm bracelet that I don't remember wearing, but it is chock full of charms from my earliest years. It doesn't even fit around my wrist, but every now and then I take it out and admire it.
Kirsi, Thank you. There are so many stories that I could tell from these bracelets but this post would have been way too long. They are so special. Thanks for reading.
Lots of memories. So much packed in this stack. I don't have children. We divided up the parents belongings between the 3 siblings. The other 2 have grown kids with combined collections of their own stuff plus that of both sets of parents/grandparents. There is little that I have that would have any meaning to my nieces and nephews. It would be just "more stuff" to them. I also am trying to pass things along to charities...but certain things...like my moms charm bracelet and the one my grandmother gave me after her trip to Hawaii that had little palm trees (she died a short time after that). I think I'll gather some of it up and sell for scrap...or donate to a charitable resale shop. But it is all too hard to let go. Thank you for sharing your story.
Nanette, Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I also don't have any children, siblings, parents, or even nieces. I'm the end of the line. But after writing that I realized that it's okay. I think some of the charms could get new stories like the travel ones or even the Sweet 16. But if not, that's okay too. Yes, it's just a few things like these bracelets that are hard to let go. Thinking about hard to let go, that threadbare navy jacket was really hard for me to let go! Thanks again for reading and commenting.
Yes, definitely harder with no heirs. I agree with you, that some "things" will get new stories. Like all the many items I've picked up at antique and resale shops. Still so challenging to know when it is time to let some of these things go.
Lisa, That makes me so happy that I inspired you! Looking forward to reading about it. I would have liked to tell more stories but with four bracelets it would have been too long. Thanks again for reading!
My high school friends jangled their charm bracelets in class. I envied them because I had none: I was a plain girl in those years. You have a treasure!
Those are beautiful and so are your memories that they invoke. Now, their importance is well-documented and that may be enough for them to be treasured by someone else. You never know who will someday treasure them, too. Thank you sharing! ❤️
I love your charm bracelets Lynda. I have a gold one and a Pandora. I have no idea what will happen to them (and everything else) after I'm gone. I hope someone puts their hand up to take over your bracelets and loves them as much as you do.
Jennifer, Thanks. They are just so personal like a diary so I can’t see anyone wanting them except maybe some of the charms. But that’s okay.
I loved this piece so much, this is so beautiful and the beautiful things you have treasured♥️
Aaliya, Thank you!
These are beautiful Lynda, I absolutely love a family treasure! have you written down the stories and the origins of all your treasure so at least people will realise what they meant to you?
Paul, thanks. No I haven’t. I need to write more about each of these since there was no way I’d include all of the stories in this piece.
That’s what I need to do myself this year otherwise my children will not remember the origins of half my heirlooms (junk)
Paul, I don’t have any relatives to pass mine down to. When I was teaching journal writing years ago one of the exercises I had my students write was a family heirloom. The neatest one was a kitchen table that was special because she and other siblings had been born on it!!
Oh wow love that! I’ve written several blogs about heirlooms and their stories that people have shared with me over the years but nothing beats that!
Paul, it’s funny that I can’t remember any of the other students stories but that one was hard to forget.
It is pretty memorable to be fair!
This really captures that weird tension between treasuirng something intensely and knowing it might mean nothing to anyone else. I've held onto a few objects like this—things that don't translate outside thier original context but still feel irreplaceable. The padlock clasp detail on your mom's bracelet is particularly striking since it's both functional and kind of symbolic. Sometimes I think documenting these things in writing is what lets them outlive their physical form anyway.
Thanks. Yes, the padlock was pretty symbolic besides functional. And documenting them does help. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I love how you have stories and memories behind many of the charms on your bracelets -- the detail about your thread-bare blue jacket is great. I wonder if the inventor of charm bracelets would have guessed that the little dangling symbols would conjure such beautiful and lasting memories so many years later. I have a charm bracelet that I don't remember wearing, but it is chock full of charms from my earliest years. It doesn't even fit around my wrist, but every now and then I take it out and admire it.
Kirsi, Thank you. There are so many stories that I could tell from these bracelets but this post would have been way too long. They are so special. Thanks for reading.
Lots of memories. So much packed in this stack. I don't have children. We divided up the parents belongings between the 3 siblings. The other 2 have grown kids with combined collections of their own stuff plus that of both sets of parents/grandparents. There is little that I have that would have any meaning to my nieces and nephews. It would be just "more stuff" to them. I also am trying to pass things along to charities...but certain things...like my moms charm bracelet and the one my grandmother gave me after her trip to Hawaii that had little palm trees (she died a short time after that). I think I'll gather some of it up and sell for scrap...or donate to a charitable resale shop. But it is all too hard to let go. Thank you for sharing your story.
Nanette, Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I also don't have any children, siblings, parents, or even nieces. I'm the end of the line. But after writing that I realized that it's okay. I think some of the charms could get new stories like the travel ones or even the Sweet 16. But if not, that's okay too. Yes, it's just a few things like these bracelets that are hard to let go. Thinking about hard to let go, that threadbare navy jacket was really hard for me to let go! Thanks again for reading and commenting.
Yes, definitely harder with no heirs. I agree with you, that some "things" will get new stories. Like all the many items I've picked up at antique and resale shops. Still so challenging to know when it is time to let some of these things go.
Wow, Lynda, you’ve inspired me to think and write about my mom’s bracelet!
Lisa, That makes me so happy that I inspired you! Looking forward to reading about it. I would have liked to tell more stories but with four bracelets it would have been too long. Thanks again for reading!
(My mom also had a Colosseum charm! )
My high school friends jangled their charm bracelets in class. I envied them because I had none: I was a plain girl in those years. You have a treasure!
Yep, I was lucky and I probably was one of those who would jangle them!! Thanks for reading.
Those are beautiful and so are your memories that they invoke. Now, their importance is well-documented and that may be enough for them to be treasured by someone else. You never know who will someday treasure them, too. Thank you sharing! ❤️
Kyla, Thank you for reading and commenting.
Aryn, Thanks for the restack. Appreciate it.