Cherished Treasures.

I will be the first to tell you that I really do not like "stuff."
I am a minimalist to the core, and if I lived by myself my house would border on "sparse and barren."
And I would love it.

However, I do not live by myself.  I live with three small hoolies and one large man...all of whom require "stuff," I might add - and all of whom who do not share my love for all things sparse and barren.

It's par for the course of having a family, I guess.  I can take it.  They're worth it.

However.  When Christmas and birthdays roll around the corner, I find that my skin starts to crawl just a wee little bit, and I suddenly have this major urge to cull and chuck and go through every corner of my home from top to bottom and get rid of as many things that I can before we bring an onslaught of new things into our home.  I have always kind of lived by the policy that if something comes "into" my home, then something must also "leave" my home.  So, I tend to go on a bit of a rampage...

My family doesn't necessarily love this policy of mine.
And I honestly try not to enforce it overly strictly.  While I don't want my kids to be pigs and live in a sty - neither do I want to ruin them for life with my own little issues.  Therefore, you can barely see my children when they are sleeping in their beds at night so surrounded are they by all of their "treasures."

And 8 1/2 years into parenting, I am learning to let go.  It's no big deal, really.
And when yard sale season floats around, I merely offer the incentive of "whatever you want to sell from your own stash - you can keep the cash."  I find that this typically works pretty well in the culling department, and it becomes a win-win compromise for all of us.

Now.  Having prefaced this little post with all of the above mentioned disclaimers...there are a few Christmas gifts that I received this year that are true, true treasures in which I will cherish for all of my days.  No culling necessary or even remotely desired.  One is a gift from Kev that I will write an entire blog post about on another day.  And the others are gifts from both my Madre and my Padre.

Years ago, Dad made each of us kids what he calls a "Legacy Box;" and for years he has been filling it with little treasures and memories, trinkets and belongings of his that he wants each of as to have as mementos of him. There might be something from his childhood, something that he made, or something that holds meaning for him, personally.  All things gifted from Dad to each one of us individually ~ thus, equaling an automatic treasure.

For me, though, more than the things inside - the most treasured part of this entire "Legacy Box" was a hand-written letter, done in his precious, sloping scrawl - written by a man of very few words -  from the heart of a father to his daughter.

Dad - in case I EVER lose this letter, I'm posting it here for when I print my blog.  Hope you don't mind.

Now, that's a gift to treasure.
My oldest brother Clay and I received our boxes at the same time ~ and I'll tell you what ~ there's nothing quite like seeing your six foot seven, grown brother get all choked up.  It's a beautiful thing.

And from my Marmie...

1950's, paper thin, still smelling deliciously old and vintage-y, dresses that MY Mom wore when she was a little baby.  I will hardly dare put my baby into one of these for even a minute...but what a treasure!  Baby London, my mother's namesake, wearing dresses that her Grammy wore at her age...

Heritage.
Legacy.
Bringing the past Present.
Gifts no amount of money can buy.
Cherished gifts to treasure...

Oh, how I love these sorts of "things."
#4207-#4211 ~ My Joy Journey.