I didn’t realize I was a collector until I started looking closely with an eye to purging at what we have around our house. Alas, I do collect things! It became clear that my eyes are drawn to the same things. For example, whenever we travel and I look for a souvenir that represented the country we are visiting, I end up with a box. Why? Boxes store or conceal things. Instead of wrapping a gift, it can be put into a box that becomes part of the gift. Someday, I’ll spread out my collection and put something in each before giving it away. Surprise! (The picture only shows a few I’ve collected. I have a bigger box of all the other little boxes.)
What else do I collect? Oh, my. I found notebooks full of quotes and other collections of stone eggs, beach rocks, seashells, turkey feathers, and pumpkins.
What is it about these particular things that draw me?
Quotes inspire, instruct, correct and delight me. I have been writing them down for years so I can go back and review. Lessons are everywhere; snatches of conversation, a roadside sign, a cartoon, even something said in a TV drama. I keep my ears tuned in and a pen and notebook handy. Words to ponder.
Stone eggs represent every trip I made to Oregon with our three children. We’d stop at the Gem and Mineral Shop near Fortuna and look around. (There is an interesting museum in the back.) Every year, I would buy a stone egg. Over the years, I’ve filled a bowl.
Beach rocks represent visits to Goat Rock at the mouth of the Russian River. I tuck a rock or two into my jacket pocket and add it to the collection on our deck. Misting from a squirt bottle brings back that sea-shine. A wave-washed rocky beach sparkles with jewels.
Seashells are glorious houses for sea snails, slugs and hermit crabs. God takes very tender care of His creatures, doesn’t He? Sometimes I will just sit and look at the shells and marvel.
Turkey feathers are flotsam left in our backyard by the visiting flock. I’m always on the lookout for feathers. They are fascinating. They are light, elegant, shimmering with colors, and as strong as bone. Evidence of an ingenious Creator.
Pumpkins draw me. Big and small, glass and metal, and real (which I put outside on our porch as Autumn decorations. I like the shape, the colors and patterns. And they appear just in time for the fall colors to blaze along our streets.
I have other collections. Memory folders and postcards from trips, pictures, oh-so-many pictures, and a thousand wonderful memories.
Collections reveal what interest us, what we value. I think we all have collections and reasons for them. What about you?