My mother had good taste. She had a good fashion sense, too. She wasn’t chic or lavish but she loved clothes and jewelry and she wore both well. She knew and took advantage of a bargain when she saw one. One of her favorite pastimes was “antiquing” with her best friend. Thanks to her many outings, she acquired things that made our home lovely.  Vases, bowls, ornate letter openers, furniture, lamps, the Regulator Clock and so much more found just the right spot in our old stone house. 

When it came time for my mother to sell the family house and move to a more manageable space, you would have thought downsizing would be the goal. Not really, She chose a large apartment with a formal living room, den, dining room and more bedrooms than she needed. I think she opted for this spacious apartment so she would have room for her lovely things. It’s not a fault. She was alone at this point with children and grandchildren visiting often but busy with their own lives. Her things were a little like old friends..

Several years later, my mother died after a short and exhausting illness. The night she died, all six of her children slept at her apartment among her things. Her will stated that everything she had be divided evenly between the six of us. Over the years, each of us pointed out something that we were particularly fond of and she remembered. My brother always loved the grandfather clock. I loved her diamond and sapphire pinky ring. My sister, the Regulator Clock. Beyond that, we six children gathered in her apartment and began to select the items we wanted. One by one we picked something and then started over again. Round after round, most of my mother’s things were headed to new homes. It was incredibly civilized. I don’t think anyone left feeling slighted.  Several times one of us would offer, “I think you should have that” because of a certain tradition or memory.

We all have pieces of her and it is evocative to see those things when we visit each other. The Persian rug looks warm and lovely in my sister’s house. Different vases and bowls reflect new light in another sister’s space. My brother still winds that grandfather clock and that Regulator Clock has moved onto the next generation in my niece’s house.

I am glad  to have a few pieces of her furniture and a couple of funky brass letter openers. More importantly, I have a few pieces of her jewelry beyond that diamond and sapphire ring. I wear a piece of her jewelry to events that my mother would have liked. To me, I am bringing a piece of her with me to weddings, birthdays, reunions. My mother loved a good party and for a few minutes she’s there because I can see her in that piece of jewelry.