Little gems from the past

   Don't you love it when you unexpectedly find something?  Five dollars in the jacket you haven't worn since last fall? A lost necklace, for example? How about a photo you forgot existed or a letter from a g'parent that is now gone? This afternoon I found those very things. One made me laugh out loud, this other made me thoughtful and pensive.
   I am working on a Christmas gift for my kids (hopefully I can pull it together!)and I've had to sort through old photos and papers. Besides finding that my photo taking and paper keeping is a bit lop-sided between the kids (you know: oldest child vs. middle child vs. the baby!!), I've also found some wonderful gems from the past. Forgotten Mother's Day cards done in nursery, primitively scrawled names and great photos. Among these things, I found this letter from my G'ma Jensen. I loved coming across this letter talking about what was going on in her life. I loved seeing her handwriting. I loved seeing an article she knew I'd love. (about my dear great uncle Merrill). I even love the little pink post it attached to article. So glad I kept it all.
   Next, the laughter. I came across this  random photo taken at work. I was working for the Sears calling center in Provo. How old do you think I look in this photo? Now before you look at the date and do the math, give it a guess. I've shown this to a couple people today. Fourteen was one reply, and sixteen was the other. Nope, I'd be 24yrs old...pregnant with my second child. Yes, I can hear you laughing now. The bangs. The glasses. Oh, I thought those were so cute and made me look older. The shirt. Yikes! the shirt....an oversized courderoy number...so 90's, right? No wonder I got looks of pity when I went to the grocery store....looks of pity from everyone assuming I was a teen mom.
   Often going through old things just makes me melancholy. I get sad seeing that time relentlessly marches forward leaving loved ones gone and little ones grown up too fast. And then....and then....I find something funny like this that just laughs those blues away!