Memory Jar - A Priceless Gift (under $5)

Fall is my favorite time of the year.  Apples are in season.  The air is cool and crisp.  Woodsmoke is wafting through the air.  Sunday afternoons are spent watching football.  It's my oldest son's birthday and MY birthday.  It is a birthday gift I received a number of years ago that has still gotten me through some tough days and still gives me joy on ordinary days - fall, winter, spring and summer. 

I received this gift on my 35th birthday.  It came from my mom and I'm sure it cost under $5 but it is priceless to me.  It is called a "Memory Jar".

Here is what is glued to the lid.

And when you open the lid.........

It's words of encouragement and love; memories my mom has of me as a new baby - her first; memories of the little girl with the Dorothy Hamill haircut and an overbite; tales of the unruly teenager; inside family jokes; things that have made us laugh and things that have made us cry.......  I love each and every little note.

I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind if I shared a few:

"We remember how music touches your spirit and makes you cry sometimes---especially the hymns.  I can look over at you in a church service where the music has moved me and sure enough, I see the tear in your eye too.  That connection always made me think of this poem:  When you were born, I guessed, "A girl like me."  But your eyes and hair and skin took their shades from your aunt and father; your narrow wrists and throat---your great-grandmother's.  I searched for years to find myself in you---some quirk of mind, a gesture---none.  Finally, I gave up and looked straight at you to discover who this person is who isn't me.  And you looked back alight with love and hope identical to my own."

"Are are sure you do not want to be a waitress again?  Wasn't that summer at Grand View Lodge a good experience?  Did you break a few dishes?  Ge upset with a few patrons?  Struggle with the great question - would you marry a proctologist?"

"Jo, we don't know the order that these memories will be read.  There are a total of 35---one for each year of your life.  There are, of course, hundreds and hundreds that are not written down.  We hope that many of them make you smile as they did us as we thought of them.  God Bless you and keep you safe.  We love you forever.  Mom and Dad"

I keep this jar on my cedar chest in my bedroom.  I'm long past 35 years old but I'm never long past needing to hear/read that I'm loved and remembered.  I gave a "Memory Jar" to a friend a number of years ago for her 40th birthday.  I'm hoping that it still gives her joy once in a while.  I think I'll start planning for my next "Memory Jar".  Maybe words of joy to be read each and every day????

"Mothers are instinctive philosophers."  - Harriet Beecher Stowe