This summer, I went on a bit of a purge through my house, tossing old papers, getting rid of things that had sat on my kitchen counter for months without being touched. Sometimes, stuff simply gets overwhelming. Today, author Mary L. Hamilton is joining us to talk about something similar and how it led her to a neat book idea. See what you think.

If you could pass only five possessions on to your children or grandchildren, what would you choose? Would they be items with great financial value? Or maybe something that has little value other than the emotional meaning it holds for you?

Several years ago, after disposing of my mother’s estate and then my in-laws’ estate, I took notice of how many friends were going through the same process. How does one choose what to keep and what to donate or throw away? So much of what our parents valued has no meaning for us. The same holds true for our kids. They’re not interested in the fine china place settings or the crystal glassware for which every bride once registered.

I started looking at what I’ve kept, intending to pass it on to my children. The red snowsuit I wore when I was a toddler. A record collection of artists from my high school days. My mother’s silver dinnerware that needs regular polishing. A Bible from their grandfather who passed away before they were born. I couldn’t imagine them wanting any of it! But what if there were certain things I wanted them to value, to treasure like I did? What five things would I choose?

Well, I never came up with a list, but I did come up with a story idea. What if a woman who thrives on order and cleanliness has a mother who is a borderline hoarder. She has pushed, argued, and challenged her elderly mother to get rid of the junk she’s accumulated. But then her mother dies unexpectedly, leaving behind a list of five treasured items she expects her daughter to pass on to others who will also treasure them. But each item holds no value in the daughter’s estimation, and she can’t fathom who would want any of it.

For research, I interviewed a local woman who runs a professional cleaning and organizing business. She had plenty of stories, both amusing and tragic. The weirdest thing she ever came across was a long braid of hair that belonged to an ancestor, kept in a box and passed down from generation to generation. She also told of a woman who kept a chair that she hated. It wasn’t comfortable and didn’t fit with her own décor, but she couldn’t let it go. Why? Because years earlier, her mother had told her she could never get rid of that chair. Her mother had passed on. Nothing was keeping her from disposing of the chair … except she felt honor-bound to obey her mother’s wishes.

As we talked, I thought of my mother who insisted on buying a little keepsake from a store that closed. I always thought she was silly, until I realized the store sold Scandinavian merchandise. For my mother, whose parents were Norwegian and Swedish, the keepsake wasn’t so much about the store as it was a remembrance of her childhood, her background.

The woman I interviewed admitted she kept a red towel that belonged to her deceased brother. And I recalled a baseball hidden deep in my “treasure box.” Scuffed and dirty, the original message written in marker worn off, the ball wouldn’t be worth anything to someone else. But to me, it’s a reminder of a special friend who gave me the game ball after he pitched a one-hitter in a city league.

In the process of plotting this story, I awoke one morning with the entire theme running through my head.

Worth isn’t always measured in dollars and cents; sometimes it’s measured in the heart.

What things are you treasuring that find their value in the heart?

Worthless Treasures

Professional organizer Diamond Lange helps clients declutter their homes and let go of what no longer serves them. But when her mother, Eva, suddenly passes away, Diamond is left with a house overflowing with junk and a promise she regrets making.

Diamond considers everything in Eva’s house trash, including the five items Eva wanted passed on to others who will treasure them as she did. At a time when Diamond questions her own self-worth, she can’t imagine who in the world would accept–much less treasure–a piano that will always be out of tune, a doll that’s lost half its hair, or any of the other worthless items on Eva’s list. But to assuage her guilt, and Eva’s perceived disappointment in her, Diamond determines to honor Eva’s last wish, commencing an emotional journey through dusty memories and buried regrets.

The unexpected arrival of an old flame, the threat of her childhood home being demolished, and a child’s urgent health crisis force Diamond to consider what truly matters. Because sometimes worth isn’t measured in dollars and cents; sometimes it’s measured in the heart.

Mary L. Hamilton writes heartfelt contemporary fiction about ordinary women in midlife and beyond in both soft suspense and women’s fiction. Combining small-town charm and family ties in both soft suspense and women’s fiction, her stories explore faith, forgiveness, and the quiet strength of everyday women. Her books have earned recognition from the Selah Award, Eric Hoffer Awards, Christian Indie Awards, and Illumination Awards. Mary and her husband enjoy peaceful Texas evenings, books, and time with their grown kids and grandsons.

Website: https://maryhamiltonbooks.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/maryhamiltonbooks/