My most prized "treasure" is my hope chest. My father and brother made it for me for my high school graduation. That was all I ever told my father I wanted in my life, was a hope chest (yes, I'm old-fashioned and in my 50's, so hope chests were a sign of the times back then). Every where I would go, I'd see chests. My grandmother had one, my sister had one, everyone I knew had one. That was all I ever talked about. So the night I graduated high school, we came home and they threw a party for me, and there was my hope chest. It meant even more that it was "made" for me, but that my father and my brother worked on it together for my benefit meant even more. You see, my brother had lost his twin two years earlier, and the fact that he was trying to find himself, he took the time to make one of my dreams come true. I have this chest to this day, it sits in my bedroom. Nobody is allowed to put anything on it, for fear it might get scratched. My daughter, Nettie, knows how important it was to me, and has decided that it is the one thing she wants me to "pass down to her" when I die. That makes me feel even more special.
Some of my other treasures are all "inherited" pieces; a round, carved cherry table that was my mothers, another hope chest that my great uncle made, a couple of small drawer chests that my grandfather made, linens and handkerchiefs that were my grandmothers, and tons of buttons my grandmother saved over the years. And most (secondly) important are all the family photos from my parent's time. My uncle Bill (my mom's brother), whenever we had a family get-together, he would bring out the photos, boxes of them, and tell us stories. Oh, the stories. Uncle Bill passed away about 2 years ago, and I really miss those stories, even though we heard them over and over.
My family is my most important treasure, but we aren't supposed to mention people as treasures.
Another thought I have today...I had to go to the court to get a copy of a judgment for a court case I was involved in with my previous landlord. After living in her house for 13 years, she sued me for $4,000, unheard of here in California, for wear and tear to her house, paint, carpets, etc. But after getting a copy of the judgment today, and realizing that the jack-ass judge awarded her a little over $2,000, my belief in "doing the right thing" has gone completely out the window. I am not a liar, cheat, nor do I steal, but this landlord lied at every turn in court. And now I have to wonder why it is that the liars and cheaters are the ones that end up winning, and not the person that tells the truth and always "goes by the book". I've got lots of thinking to do on this subject, and any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. It's the people like Martha, or Kobe, or these corporate executives that suck all the money, all people who clearly are out for their own greed, that are now more popular than ever. These are the people that are idolized and followed. It just doesn't make much sense to me anymore.
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