Comfort "Things"

As a child, I would read in a sunny spot on my bed or a chair for hours.  I would often just read my mother's magazines, a Sears Catalog and of course the books that my Mom had around our house.  My favorites were anything that would take my young mind on a journey...getting me out of Maine..far away.

It's funny now that when I return to Maine, I long for those memories that I had as a child and wonder where most of them went.  Old age? selective memory?  All I know is I miss memories that I know I have locked away, but for some reason, they are gone.

Have you ever smelled something and it's brought back a memory from your childhood? Those to me are special moments.  Old books, apple pie, wool blankets, vintage quilts...these are some of the triggers of fond memories as a child.  I have had some not so good memories come flooding back by other smells...but luckily, I've forgotten what they are..again..old age?

When I go to a yard sale, church fair or even the Salvation Army, the vintage things I long for often have a distinct memory of my childhood...and they are always good memories.  When I find a knit pillow, old quilt, vintage book or anything else that's vintage that screams my Grandmother's camp or my Grandmother's house...I have to have it...For some reason I need to have it in my possession, knowing that I will sell it eventually (hopefully) but for that brief moment I'm holding it, smelling it (if it indeed has a scent and its not a bad one!) it brings me back to the few memories I have stored away that give me comfort and contentment.

They say that we crave comfort food when we're in emotional need, but have you ever felt like you're craving comfort "things"? I truly believe that these things can be very comforting, even if you're not a collector or selling them, but just having a couple of memories around your home can give you peace and a sense of belonging in our big, crazy world.

Enjoy the memories you still have and try to preserve them somehow..because one day you wake up and those memories can be hard to bring to the surface, with everything else we clog our lives with, they deserve to be a part of you and not lost forever....