LIFE IS LIKE A WALK ON THE BEACH

One of the most enjoyable things about going to a beach is finding shells or other objects. I call them my beach finds. Little treasures that wash up to shore or in the shallow part of the water. Walking and looking and finding! Life can have many beach finds. But we must take the time to explore and find them. Sometimes we pass by significant finds and only notice on our way back. As a child we camped at Rock Lake in Algonquin Park, Ontario. It was a spot that First Nations people used a stop on a canoe route. They also must have made arrows too. I have a little collection of pieces of flint from their work. One of my best treasures is a little arrow head that must have been used to kill birds due to its small size. A beach is that zone between water and land. Many of us face transitions in our lives like a beach. We stand and look over the water trying to decide to wade in or stay on the land or sometimes just walk on the beach neither going forward or backwards. Still experiencing and finding our "little treasures". What are your beach finds? What little treasures have you found? Do you sit on the beach or wade in the waters?

AN ORDINARY LIFE

Is the title of some draft pages for a book I discovered during a family crisis visit out west while cleaning out my mother's desk. I perused a few paragraphs and put them aside to read at a later time. My mother always talked about wanting to write a book and have it published. I will probably put the pages in one of my many family history binders. Her recollection of her childhood in Toronto in the 1920's and 1930's will be useful information to other family members- siblings, grandchildren, cousins. So no book will be published but her efforts will not be wasted! Unfortunately, many children are not so kind as I. Many people clean out their parents' homes and throw out lots of little treasures without a second thought. It's junk! When my mother-in-law died 13 years ago, the grandchildren were given the opportunity to go through her personal items and take things that had meaning to them. For example,one of my daughters took a grey sweater she had knit. She still uses it as her comfy sweater with her PJ's. In our ordinary lives are momentos with meaning. Yes, items need to be weeded out. Items like books can be donated to charities or libraries. But did the person have a collection! I had a workmate once whose father had collected a vast number of books on Judaism- in English, Polish and Hebrew. She donated his collection to a leading university in Montreal. As we all know some books can be out of print and would be useful to students. A new home! My Dad when he passed away in 2007, had a collection of nature products- birds' eggs, stuffed ducks, butterflies etc.  that were dontaed to the Heritage Centre in Peterborough- it specializes in hunter and angler history in Ontario. My step-dad has many books on the Masons that will be given to an interested family member or find their way to the local Lodge. If pragmatic, such donations may warrant a tax receipt to help with the estate taxes.
Furniture often finds a new home. Many times will have actually increased in value. I have a desk from my Dad and an old Singer sewing machine from my husband's Mom in my home.
We are always warned when conducting genealogical searches to write up our notes and publish. Family members have often discarded all the efforts of their loved ones.
Even old letters and cards may give some interesting tidbits of long lost ancestors so take the time to review them. I found some letters and pictures my children had written to their grandparents that I will pass on to them.
What do you have in your ordinary life that could find a new home if your children and grandchildren were not interested? Have you had the experience of cleaning out a parental home? What did you save? Did you discover a secret?

ONE PERSON'S JUNK

Is another person's treasure. What a popular phrase! Don't we all wish we could turn all our junk into treasures for someone else with a bit of revenue added. Decluttering, downsizing, makes us evaluate many items in our lives. However, some things are just junk and deserve a trip to the curb!

CHRISTMAS TREE ANGEL

We used to put a star at the top of the Christmas Tree as a child. Then Tree angels became popular. When my Natasha was 5 she made a sweet little toilet roll angel for the tree. For years it was the only angel I put on the tree until I bought a pretty store one that had lights. The little angel still goes on every Christmas tree beside the new angel as reminder of the art of little hands. Do you have some special family items that are displayed every year? Do you treasure those items made by little hands or your hands?

TREASURED POSSESSIONS

I was asked recently what are my most treasured possessions. Things not people-since my family is more important than anything! However, there are items that have emotional connections for me. I inherited my Dad's desk- used to play on it when I had visits with him. My Mom's Grade 8 silver medal for attendance and "being a good student". My photo albums bring great pleasure. My travel albums have been scrapbooked long before "scrapbooking" became the rage. Of course, my camera- take it everywhere and try to capture the moments. I am the one that loves to make copies of pictures and have seen the joy of others loving my candid shots. What are your favourite possessions? Is there one or do different items bring different memories?