Piece of my Heart

I used to have a small gold ring that wrapped around a little bar of jade. A woman who was very influential to me when I was growing up gave it to me as a gift for my sixteenth birthday. With it, she wrote in the card, “Always find the strength to hold onto what you believe is beautiful.” It was just a ring but to me, it was a reminder and had become a part of who I was.

One of the most interesting things, to me, is the story behind why someone holds a particular item so precious in their hearts. Tokens as small as a penny or as big as a table often have a lot of meaning behind them.

We often forget about the little things in day-to-day life. Rings become just an accessory, the lucky penny sits alone in the wallet and the table sits in the corner of the room with books piled on top. We don’t get to talk about why to how they are there.

Name: Libby Keller, 20

What is the item? A small silver necklace with a star pendent with diamonds insets. It’s understated, subtle, often goes unnoticed.

What the history behind the item? “My mom give it to me just before my sixteenth birthday. I was in a hospital at the time, dealing with an eating disorder I developed. She gave it to me as a reminder that I had people who cared and I can make it though this hard time.”

Why does this item hold meaning to you? “It’s a reminder to me of the 10 days I was in the hospital. I was missing so much sitting there; hurting, and I knew I wanted to be around to see what was next. Having it reminds me, every time I’m thinking about relapsing, of that time of hurt and helps me push through. I wore it every day for 4 years until it became too worn and fragile. I know have a tattoo of the start to replace it.”

Name: Courtney Knox, 21

What is the item? A music box, shaped as a lighthouse on top of a hill with two snow globes on either side. One holds a dolphin and the other holds a whale The whole thing sits on a base of sculpted water. It’s calming, sweet, child-like.

What the history behind the item? “I’m from California, it’s where most of my family lives. When I moved up to Washington, my grandpa would send me a music box every year. This is the first one I got from him, when I was two.”

Why does this item hold meaning to you? “It’s just one of those things, you know? I wasn’t really close with my grandpa but it was the one connection I had to him. It was his way of telling me he loves me. Without fail, every year he would take the time to hand pick a music box to send me and that really just felt special. This one particularly just reminds me of my childhood. The look and sound so it nice to have on those days that get rough.”

Name: Ben Larson, 19

What is the item? A large wooden chess set. It’s heavy, sturdy, classic.

What the history behind the item? “My grandpa got this chess set when he was about 30 years old. He never really played chess but I love it and remember admiring it when I was younger. This is the one thing my grandma gave to when he died.”

Why does this item hold meaning to you? “It’s really nice and it feels great. I was never really close to my grandpa. I was really young, about eight or nine, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and then died not long ago. So it was hard to get close to him. This chess set was the only real connection I had left to him. ”

Name: Dominique Coulet du Guard, 65

What is the item? A hand sewn, red leather bag with cream, blue and brown stitching on the front and a small pocket on the back. It’s a work of art.

What the history behind the item? “I’m from Morocco. While living there, my dad picked up a lot of different skills. He picked up leatherwork about late 1940s to 1950.  When I was really young, my family suddenly moved to New York. There my father sold these leather good on the streets to try and make any little bit of money he could. This is the only one of this leather good I have after he passed.

Why does this item hold meaning to you? “It’s the only one I have in my possession now. When we moved to the U.S. it was all he had. It reminds me the struggles he faced, moving us and trying to make money from creating act. It’s absolute beauty what he made of his life with this. From leaning the trade to selling them to live, it was, what I believe, a represention his life. Really remarkable. ”