Tiny Treasures

Sometimes I find little notes laying around my apartment from someone who sneaks around while I'm not paying attention.

I do not consider myself someone who hoards paper and never throws anything away.  In fact, sometimes I get in these tossing frenzies where my closet will be cleaned out and suddenly everything will be slimmed down from what little managed to be saved for whatever little amount of time.

BUT, I am also an archivist and I have always treasured the value of small mementos that when saved bring back big memories.  So that's why I always kept a shoe box under my bed as a kid and why I have photo boxes on my shelves now.  They are neat and tidy but packed with a punch of laughs and tears and whatever my third-grade self found important to keep. 

Now I have a little box dedicated especially for things and moments shared by just Dan and me.  That's where you'll find treasures like this:  

And what you are seeing here are just the ones I have photos of!   I always wanted to be that little old lady with boxes of love notes that my grand kids could look at someday.

When I was in college I did an oral history with an elderly woman for a project about WWII.  She had hundreds of letters saved from her husband when he was off at war.  They were so beautifully tied up in ribbon and wrapped in tissue.  I thought it was so neat and so romantic and such a genuine display of love.  In that moment I secretly hoped to have my own collection some day!  And while my box is filling up with post-its and scrap paper, they are still full of just as much love.

The best part about these little notes and all the others I have stored away is that I never asked for any of them.  Just random tiny treasures that make my heart smile.