as i look around the room in which i am sitting as i write, i see many things that awaken joyful feelings in me. across the room, a cuckoo clock is ticking away. in a few moments, the cuckoo will emerge to announce the time, two bird figures on the clock will feed their young in the nest at the bottom of the clock's face, and wooden figures will move in a circle at the top of the clock face while a music box plays a folk tune. every time i hear the sound of this clock, i remember the happy day we bought it in an antique store about an hour's drive from our home.
not far from my chair, there stands a floor clock that plays beautiful chimes every quarter hour. it reminds me of the happy christmas when my wife and i gave ourselves this lovely clock as a gift to ourselves. several spanish porcelain figures sit on tables in the room, parts of my wife's collection of these pieces, and each one evokes a memory of the moment when it was discovered in a shop during one of our travels. the room is illuminated by two antique lamps that cast a warm glow through their golden-hued glass shades. these are also momentoes of our travels, and their significance in our lives is greater than their value as antiques. indeed, they are reminders of happy times we spent together, times that we treasure.
on the opposite end of the piece of furniture on which one of the lamps sits, three porcelain vases reflect the lamp's light. these creamware pieces are among my favorites, as i am a great lover of this off-white porcelain. i remember a time when i turned in my chair at our informal dining table and knocked the tallest of this set off the hearth where it sat at the time, shattering it on the wooden floor. we were both heartbroken that this beloved vase was ruined, but my wife began a search online for a replacement. we were delighted when we learned that the vase was still being manufactured by the american company which made the one i broke. we immediately placed an order for a replacement. when it arrived our set was once more complete, and we delight in the beauty of the three vases every day.
my wife is a great collector, and one of her fascinations is small spinning tops. on the table at the end of the couch, there is a wooden tray that was designed as a surface for spinning these small toys. on it are about ten of the tops my wife found as we traveled. one is a simple walnut top that we found in a gift shop in the train station in washington, d. c., on one of our trips. it was rather expensive, but worth every penny because of the memories it kindles each time we spin it. next to the chairs in this room are two small tables. these tables sat at the end of the couch in my mother's living room for at least forty years. when she passed away, we inherited them. they are a constant reminder of my mother and of the happy times i spent in her company.
all of these things are important to me, not because of their monetary value but because of the memories they evoke. this room and every room in our home is filled with pieces that bring back joys that have been a part of my life at some time or other. the entire house is a summation of a happy life. i hope that one day others will find as much happiness in these possessions as i have found. these are not "things;" they represent experiences that are snapshots of our lives, like the pictures in a photo album. we love them because of their association with the moments when we discovered them, as well as for their intrinsic beauty.
may we acquire objects and treasure them for their deeper meaning, not just for their outward appearance. may we be grateful to all those involved in their creation, to those who made it possible for us to see and purchase them, and for the meaning they have in our lives. may we remember that it is not the acquisition of things that is important, that what is important are the associations embodied in those things. may we know that the memories remain, even when the things we love are lost. may all that we have be an expression of the living of our lives and the love we feel for one another. shalom.
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