Sentimental Values

We've been doing some spring cleaning this week, inspired partly by our closet incident a few weeks ago, and partly by the fact that my in-laws are visiting soon.  As I've been going through things, I've come across a lot of items that bring back so many memories for me-- photos from our first trips to the Grand Canyon and Death Valley together, sign cards from my first art show, a bracelet that belonged to Josh's grandmother.  This all got me thinking about how some things are worth more than just what they physically are.  It's that extra sentimental value full of memories and emotion that really counts, and makes you hold on to things that you'd otherwise have parted with long ago.

One of my favorite sentimental items is the Shoe Pin.  Way back in high school, Josh and I started dating ten days before Christmas, which meant, of course, that we suddenly had to exchange Christmas gifts after having been out on a single date.  So, I did what every midwestern high school girl with no income would, and gave him a huge box of homemade chocolate chip cookies.  He gave me the Shoe Pin.  It's a rhinestone-covered Converse All Star, in brooch form, and he chose it because I was a runner.  I've never worn it, but have always kept it close at hand, and every day when I look at it, I'm reminded of how far we've come together since high school, and how much the future holds for us.