What do your cherished belongings reveal?

"Ah, the wonderful thing about a house is not that it provides us with warmth and shelter, but that it slowly builds within us a reserve of contentment, shaping, deep in the heart, the immense darkness from which dreams emerge, like water from a spring ... "

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Dear friends,

Forgive my absence in the blogosphere lately. Much has been happening in my life, some of which I will write about in the coming days.

For now, I wanted to share with you a little box that is near and dear to my heart. It is a wooden box painted with Mexican folkloric icons. I picked it up at a souvenir shop in Mexico City a few years ago. I collect Mexican artesanías (folk art and crafts), many of which I've picked up during reporting trips throughout Mexico. That particular trip was quite full with interviews and other work duties so, instead of leisurely browsing cute shops, I found myself looking for a jewel in the rough amid a bunch of trinkets at a store near my hotel, just minutes before I hopped into a taxi to take me to the airport.

Here is the box filled business cards from people I met in Mexico City, a reminder of challenging days spent reporting in a foreign country and, more importantly, the city where I was born. I share it with you today because I often wonder the story behind other people's treasured objects. I know that even my own family doesn't know the story behind many of my most cherished belongings.

I was thinking about this because I recently stumbled upon the most delightful book while browsing at an Anthropologie store. "My Mother's Clothes (An Album of Memories)," by Jeannette Montgomery Barron, is a photographic record of clothes belonging to the author's mom, each page revealing a different layer of a life well-lived. Absolutely captivating.

It occurred to me that, just like our clothes, many items in our homes are also a testament to the many journeys we've taken and the people we've become.

Look around your home. What stories would your treasured objects say about your life? Does your family know why these are so beloved to you?

In future posts, I will share some more of the treasured items I've gathered throughout the years.