The Amazing Memory Box
The best gift we ever gave my mom and how it came back to us
When my mother was approaching her 80th birthday, my family members tried to come up with a gift idea.
Of course, she didn’t need anything, and she certainly didn’t want more useless decorative objects.
We wanted to get her a practical gift that she would love but that wouldn’t take up much space in her tiny apartment.
Based on an idea from a magazine, we decided to make a Memory Box for her gift.
First we found a wooden box with a hinged lid and glued a small sign that said “Memory Box” on top.
Then we asked each of her kids, their spouses, and the grandkids to write down special things they remembered about my mom.
Everyone liked the idea and they all started creating their memory notes on colored pieces of paper. The notes were in a variety of sizes, but each one began with the words, “I remember.”
Every message described one memory of my mom and told why that was important.
Some were simple, such as “I remember you always comforting me when I skinned my knee as a kid.”
Others were more elaborate: “I remember how you pushed me to finish my college degree when I was ready to…
