Heirlooms come in all sizes. I am lucky enough to have my husband (bless him!) haul around my grandparents' 1894 bedroom set of solid red oak. It has quite the history of begetting, birthing and dying. Even my sisters were born in it, however I was the first born in a hospital.
But we often overlook the little heirlooms that tell stories. Paper:throw it out. Badge:toss it. Old textiles: donate it. All of my family minimizes, but I store all the memorabilia. They tell me that there are interventions for that condition. Here are a few ways to preserve the items that might be overlooked.
Preservation #1: My father was such a great guy and my mother mourned his passing twice when she had to downsize as memorabilia had to be weeded. Mercilessly. I ended up pocketing many of them. There! The confession. But the items turned into a shadowbox for her new digs. She loved it! After her passing....well, you know you owns it.
Preservation #2: Mother's pins. I did not organize these on a velvet ribbon, she did. Not only are the pins not scattered through her jewelry box or scattered in a cedar chest, but they tell a story of events in her life.
Lesson learned: Do sweat the small stuff before you toss. They may be the most important heirlooms you have.
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