Fully Alive…Ready to Smile

posted by erin on Nov 2

As a child, one of my favorite things to do when I went to my Grandma’s house was to haul out her big jar of buttons.  I would plop myself down in the sunny patch on the floor and watch as the hundreds of exquisite buttons would cascade out of the jar onto the carpet.  Like little priceless treasures, they would glisten in the sunlight and I would spend hours sifting through them.  Sorting them by colors.  Finding the ones that looked the oldest, wondering what story was behind each particular button.  Examining them carefully and exclaiming over how sparkly that one was, or how delicate this one was.  All the different shapes and sizes enthralled me.

A few months back I remembered this jar that I had forgotten about for so many years.  My Grandma passed away last December and for me this jar of buttons holds so many memories of hours spent with my Grandma in her sewing room, while she told me about years gone past, or just letting me chatter about anything my little heart desired.  I asked my mom where the jar had gone to and she said she would investigate for me.  If there is any one thing that I could keep to remember my Grandma by, I think this would be it.

I always keep my buttons that have fallen off clothing or the extras that come attached to the tags, but I’d never thought to put them together in one place.  A special place.  This week I decided to do something with them…collect them.  So I gathered them together and put them in a jar all of their own.  Hopefully one day my grandkids will be sitting with me and sifting through the pile that has been lovingly collected over time.

My dear friend Shelley surprised me this morning with a little gift.

Buttons to help get my collection off to a wonderful start.  Isn’t that a thoughtful gift?  I think it’s one of the most thoughtful little presents I’ve received in a long time.  It made my heart smile.