For my family there are some things we keep because they are valuable but then there are other things we keep because they hold a piece of someone we love. After losing someone important, we begin to look at ordinary things differently. A shirt is no longer just a shirt. A photograph is no longer just a picture. A handwritten note, a favorite chair, or a simple belonging can suddenly carry a story, a memory, and a feeling that takes us right back to the person who once held it.

That is one of the things I have learned through this season of saying goodbye to David’s dad. When someone we love passes away, we are often left with the difficult task of going through their belongings. It can feel overwhelming because we are not just sorting through things. We are sorting through memories.

Every item seems to ask a question. Do we keep this? Do we give this to someone who will treasure it? Does this remind us of a special moment? Will someone else find comfort in having this piece of their story? The truth is, not everything we keep has to be something expensive or important to the world. Sometimes the smallest things become the treasures we hold closest.

A favorite jacket or a familiar hat which for Charlie and David was hats with dad’s company name Cates Trucking on them. A recipe card with handwriting on it which I wish I had. A blanket that reminds us of home which Charlie brought home for our dogs. A piece of clothing that still feels like a hug which was David’s veteran t shirt I brought home to make a pillow out of.

One of the sweetest things I’ve watched during this time is Charlie holding onto pieces of his grandpa. He has some of Grandpa’s clothes, and he has been wearing his pj’s everywhere. Along with David’s cowboy boots he wore to the funeral and his work boots he will be wearing to work at the Airport this week.

To someone else, it might just look like a shirt. But to Charlie, it is a reminder. It is a connection. It is a way of carrying a piece of someone he loves with him. That is the beautiful thing about memories. They are not limited to photographs or stories. Sometimes memories live in the things around us.

Our memories live in the kitchen where family meals were shared. Memories live in the places where conversations happened. Memories live in the items someone touched, used, or loved. As we help my mother go through belongings and prepare a memorial garden in her yard, we are reminded that every family has a story. The things we keep become little pieces of that story that we pass down.

But I have also learned something important. Keeping memories does not mean keeping everything. Sometimes honoring someone means choosing what truly represents them. It means making room for the things that bring comfort, joy, and connection while letting go of what no longer serves us. The most important things we keep are not always things.

We keep the lessons. We keep the laughter. We keep the traditions. We keep the love. Those are the things that continue long after someone is gone. Families are built through generations of moments, and every person leaves behind something that becomes part of the story. The circle remains unbroken because love continues.

The things we keep remind us that even though someone may no longer be standing beside us, they are still part of who we are. And that is a gift that time can never take away. Which I am grateful, thankful and blessed to know the LORD will help us get through the loss one step at a time and one day at a time.

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates