The Collection

Yesterday my Mom shared a link on my facebook page of the Honey Festival when I was little. She asked if I remembered deliberating at the candle booth. I had completely forgotten about my candle collection, but when she shared the video, I can remember. I'd stand at the booth, looking at each candle depicting different animals, and think about how much money I had to spend. I added to my collection every year until the booth no longer was open at the Honey Festival.

I also had a rock collection. I came by this one honest, as my Grandma Bert used to have a rock garden on the side of her house. Everytime we'd go somewhere new, Grandma would want us to bring her back a rock. I'd collect rocks, too... and buy them. I loved looking at fake turquoise and fools' gold. I was so excited when one of our assignments in 4th grade was to bring in a rock collection. I did, but we had a substitute teacher who forgot to mark it down. First D I ever got in school...

I collected clothespin dolls, also sold at the Honey Festival. I collected postcards. I collect Longaberger baskets and Bybee pottery. And naturally, I collected (and still do!) books.

Today I visited with my Grandma and I thought about those collections. She's what you'd call a major collector. In her house, she has over 4,000 owls.

Yes.  4,000. Evertime she gets a new one she marks it down.

There are owls on her bath curtain and owls on her pillows and owls sitting on every flat surface.

Owls calendars and owl mugs and owl.... well, everything.

I always assumed that she started collecting owls as a teacher in Owsley County. Today I asked her, but she told me I was wrong.

She said that even as a young girl, if they went to yard sales or anything, she looked for things with owls. She just liked them.

Through the years, people found out she collected them, so they'd pick them up whenever they saw them at a flea market or the Opportunity store, they'd buy it for her. Many of them have initials, names, or dates written on the bottom of them.

They're part of her legacy... each one with it's own story of what she means to the person who buys it for her.

Things are nice... but the people behind them are what really matter.

Thankful today for listening to her story.