What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

As you’ve learned from earlier prompts, I lost my father in my mid-teens and my mother in my late 30’s. Being the youngest of seven children, mementos of my childhood were hard to come by in the aftermath of my Mom’s death.

I was able to salvage my gold-painted handprint from kindergarten with my name written by my 5-year-old self (with the J backwards of course), my silver baby spoon with my name and birthdate on it, as well as a sailor outfit from a photo session with my younger siblings (we were all sailors that day!).

Still one of the best treasures I found in those days after my Mom’s funeral was an original 5×7 painted print of my Mom and Dad on the lawn outside the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa back in the late 40’s. They both look impossibly young and so full of hope on that warm day in August that year.

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My parents struggled through the usual challenges of life, particularly with seven children in tow, but I recall that as I was talking with one of my sisters at my mom’s visitation, I wrongly noted that Dad was “sure the strong one” or something similar to that sentiment. My sister looked at me like I had suddenly grown another pair of ears and said, “you are so wrong Jon. Mom has always been the strong one.”

In retrospect, I think of the strength she had to muster to tackle my dad’s early days working to become a minor league baseball player, his struggle with alcohol and cigarettes, as well simply finding work that would support the growing family. Fortunately, my mother had a greater presence in her life at that time and always throughout her life. God drove her, challenged her, blessed her, comforted her, and gave her passion and a heart full of love that made the woman a pillar for lack of another word. She was an angel here on Earth for sure.

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My second personal belonging I treasure is my wedding ring (in this case, from the late 80’s). Although Jett & I didn’t marry at the Little Brown Church, as we opted for our regular church in Clear Lake instead, the connection is still there as Jett grew up and lived in (yes you guessed it) – Nashua, Iowa!

There’s nothing like being able to be anywhere in the world, glance down at your hand and simply know you’re loved. That is a feeling to be definitely cherished. The ring is the perfect symbol of that love…24/7.

What’s something you personally cherish?