Things of Comfort

I love this cow creamer. It belongs to my mother and sits on her what-not shelf (one of many).
This is a collage piece with pictures of Mom's grand kids, their hand prints and keepsakes. I gave it to her for Christmas a few years ago.
This stash of children's books has been on Mom's bookshelves since I was 5 or 6. I remember loving how small they were, how clever, how perfectly they fit inside a box that kept the collection together. The stories were silly, but the illustrations were memorable.
I love how sentimental my mother is. I never thought much about it growing up, but now I see how many things she has held onto over the years that hold such strong memories and meaning to her. She was never one to take photos or make photo albums or even consider scrapbooking, but she kept track of special times and noted special memories in her own way. Sometimes I want some comfort, and then walking by a shelf or opening a drawer, something kept with love suddenly jumps out at me and practically gives me a hug.. much more so than a photo album ever could.