Sad over missing items

[4 feline house]

When I moved a year and a half ago, some of my items disappeared. It was the contents of one of my kitchen drawers. No big deal, but it was my "specialty utensils" drawer and held items that I've collected over the years (I cook and bake alot) and many were unique and/or hard to find. Just the right cheese slicer, the perfect zester, whisks in hard-to-find sizes, a little pen-size battery-powered beater, the beaters to my mixer, etc. They never turned up, even after I asked all my helpers to search their trunks, pick-up beds, etc. A year and a half later it is still a mystery, and I still have only replaces about half of the items.

Last year we never put up our Christmas stuff. Pet Talk long-timers may remember I was laid off at Thanksgiving and was too broke and depressed to celebrate Christmas.

So I am only just now finding out that my most treasured Christmas memories are now also gone.

Every year I hang stockings for my kitties. Each kitty that joined the household the previous year gets a new one, even fosters if they were still with us at Christmas. I always hang all of them, as well as mine from when I was a child and all the ones I've ever bought for or was given to my son.

They are all gone.

Two years ago I had to sadly throw out alot of our "chewable" decorations when a mouse found our "stash", but the stockings were being stored inside at the time and therefore were not touched.

Some of these stockings were the only tangible memory of some of my rainbow bridge kitties. And my son's first stocking can never be replaced

I know in the grand scheme of things a few stockings aren't that important, but I am still sad that they won't be hung up again to remind me of all my babies that have gone on.

Anyway, I knew every one here would understand.

Thanks for listening to me.

[slleipnir]

aww:[ sorry about your stuff :[ i've lost stuff when we moved also, and was farly upset, but it wasn't anything really special of mine, so i know how it must feel :[

[Karen]

You can get new stocking, maybe the small, inexpensive kind, and put each Rainbow Bridge kitty's name on it with a glitter marker ... That wouldn't cost too much, and you can make new memories to replace the old stuff.
My Great Aunt Bertha said to me ten years ago something that holds true for everyone:

"Start throwing stuff away NOW! Don't wait until you are 80-something and your doctor forbids you to use the stairs more than once a day ..." So you have a head start on some of us, even if it was unintentional, right? Bittersweet ...

[sammi]

That is really sad. The things you don't care about never disappear and others that mean something are the ones that get lost. I think Karen has a good idea in replacing the stockings - they won't be the same but it will be a fresh start and a way to remember your kitties. Even for your kitties that are at the bridge even cut out a shape of a stocking and add the names etc.
And we do understand here. Oh, and by the way I have one of those pen size battery operated beaters aand I love it too.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Leah, I know what you mean, the little things with the memories are usually the most important things that we have. I remember when I was young I loved to get jewelery, have quite a bit and it is all in a safe put away for years waiting for the next family member, the things that are important to me now as I said in another post a book I got from my mother in 1945, a VJ letter that I got from my Uncle during the second world war, my beloved Kona's collar that I kept when she passed away, some of my pups toys that they outgrew, those are the things that mean so much to me, but probably won't mean a thing to anyone when I'm gone.
Jackie

[Pam]

This is an interesting topic because my sister-in-law and I had a similar conversation a couple of years ago. She had an explosion in her house one day while she was at work. It had something to do with the furnace. Unfortunately her dog, who usually stayed outside (...not something that I approve of, but that's another whole topic!) was inside that day because the weather was snowy and cold. Aside from the loss of her dog, of course, she said that her photos were what she missed most of all. She said if she had only five minutes to grab her most valuable possessions she would have gone straight to the photo albums. I guess that's because it's where most of our memories lie. You can usually replace the normal everyday things but the things which hold special memories for us just cannot be replaced. I am sorry for your loss Leah, and I think Karen has an excellent idea. In the meantime, just hug your present wonderful kitties and be thankful for them and the love they give.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Oh Leah, I am so sorry, about the loss, of yourm special possesions. That's just awful! Again, I'm very sorry!

[Karen]

Leah - what were the names of your Rainbow Bridge kitties? We can all say a prayer for them to comfort you ...

[4 feline house]

Y'all are so wonderful! I knew I could count on the Pet Talk family.

I will be making new ones, but I guess it will have to wait until next year, becuase I had already gone looking for those little stockings (which are the ones we have always used for the kitties) before I realized mine were lost, and they are sold out everywhere.

Karen, that is so sweet - they are Zebo, Toot, Bunky, Pogo, Brie, Mistery Girl (foster, which is why she never had a real name!), Yankee, Boosie, and Cosmo, and one that was just "kittens" because they were fosters rescued days before Christmas from a housefire. They didn't have their names yet.

I don't have any reason to believe any of the fosters have gone to the bridge, I just had the stockings and hung them to remember their times with us.

Thanks, y'all, I feel better already.

My son's is still gone, but I do at least have a photo of it.

[gini]

Dear Leah, I too was saddened to read of the loss of your kitchen items and now your kitties stockings. I understand, because I have many "old" kitchen items you could not replace that I wouldn't trade for anything. They do exactly the right job, may not be very "high-tech", but they will last forever.

About twenty years ago, our home was burglarized at Christmas time. It was very traumatic because it was the next day after we had given a large party for our friends
and everything that they brought was stolen along with every piece of jewelry that I owned. I am a neat-nik, so it was easy -
it was all in one place.

Now, today, I could not tell you what one piece was with the exception of a pin that my dear Aunt had given me. Which has always made me think that the best things we own are our memories. We could walk away from our home, leave everything tangible behind, but still be taking the very best of our lives with us. No, maybe not the pictures and certainly not the pets.

I don't have a lot, but some old things that belonged to family and as much as I love these things and enjoy looking at them, I am starting to give them away to my nieces and nephews. I want them to hear the story behind the item now, from me, and why it might be special and who owned it. I just gave a nephew a very old toy. It had belonged to his Dad when he was a boy and my nephew was really happy to have it.

There are some things from my father, their grandfather that they never met, and I want them to have these things now, while I am still here, can see how much it means to them and also have the enjoyment of seeing them receive it.

Aside from specific things, my will says - take what you want - no fighting - and have one glorious garage sale with what is left.

Leah, I will say a prayer for your kitties, and it is a sure bet that they remember those stockings and your love because the memory of YOU is what they took with them to the Rainbow Bridge.

[Former User]

I too know how you feel...I've lost practically everything I ever owned...You see, I used to live in Finland, then fell in love with my penpal in Belgium and had to move here. I coulnd't afford to take all my property with me, so I just had to take the precious and most important ones. And that wasn't a lot, just two suitcases... sad, but that's life. At least now I have the man of my dreams, and we can build our lives together. I'm so grateful to have him, I can always replace the things I lost, but he's something precious I wouldn't change for anything!

Happy holidays everyone!

[ December 18, 2001: Message edited by: Casper & Kitty ]

[Pam]

Gini and C&K your thoughts are just beautiful! I love what you are doing with your "things" now Gini. What a great idea to watch them give joy to family members right now. C&K your hubby is one lucky guy to have found you too. And, of course, Casper and Kitty really lucked out to find you both! Leah thank you for starting this thread.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Leah - This summer we had two floods in our basement -- the first one August 2 the next August 28. The water was 12 inches deep the second time so things that had been high enough (or moved to high enough) got it that time. We lost so much...all my high school and college photos(but not my husband's album from his first wedding ) the desk I had since childhood. When we went to put up the Christmas decoration I found a Tupperware tub in which I kept my collection of angels -- all handmade, one of a kind, from antique quilts, etc, had taken water and all were COVERED in nasty mold.

We have tried to look at it as an opportunity to pare down, lighten up and redefine. But it is hard and I feel for you. I would have liked to have looked at some of those photos one more time.

[Former User]

Originally posted by Pam:
Gini and C&K your thoughts are just beautiful! I love what you are doing with your "things" now Gini. What a great idea to watch them give joy to family members right now. C&K your hubby is one lucky guy to have found you too. And, of course, Casper and Kitty really lucked out to find you both! Leah thank you for starting this thread.

Not married YET.... but soon....

[4 feline house]

Thanks everyone.

Of course, it wasn't like I was torn up over losing my kitchen things, I was just setting up the background story.

I, too, "travel light". When I moved I had one friend helping me do the packing, and we had it done in eight hours. Even with furniture, it only took three pickups and two car trunks to move the whole shebang. I don't keep alot of junk around and am not really very sentimental - I don't even have a high school yearbook and have never regretted not having one, for instance.

But that makes the things that are sentimental that much more precious, I guess.

P.S. Niina, your story exudes love and devotion! How sweet! Have y'all set a date yet?