hoarder, or collector?

Since there is now a reality show for apparently every single possible way a person could live (Gold Prospectors, Ax Men, Rehab, American Pickers, and of course, Hoarders....) things have been brought to light that perhaps should have stayed buried.

Now when I look at all of my collections of things I wonder if I have a problem....

But then I defend myself.  That display of old cameras, most of which were picked up for cheap at yard sales?  My grandfather's camera rests among them, and every time I look at his camera it brings me back.  I can see him in his work clothes, carefully aiming it at me, with a smile on his face, and being temporarily blinded when the big bulb flashed.  And every once in a while he would even agree to be in a picture.

That collection of china in the hutch?  Yes, there are stoneware creamers I found for less than a dollar, and purchased as I liked their shape.  But they are nestled amid my great grandma's dishes, and when I see them I think of her in her dresses (always dresses), and the smell of her kitchen when I crossed the threshold of her little house on the river.

This mish mash of objects displayed in an old printer drawer?  The dice remind me of playing Yahtzee with my grandmother, on holiday afternoons, cigarette smoke encircling the room and coffee cups clanging, and her laughter, always laughter.

In the summer, when I put up displays of camping supplies and old fishing reels, I will also display the picture of my great grandfather, who was a fishing guide on Lake Bemidji.  And I will think of countless fishing trips with my dad, and the wonderful memories they hold.

(That's George Port on the left, my dad's maternal grandfather.)

I am proud to be a hoarder, colletor, historian, whatever you want to call it.  Sure, I could weed out some of this stuff, perhaps I will have a treasure sale in my yard this summer.  But everything tied to a wonderful memory will be staying put.

I have a card posted on my fridge  that says "Old things connect us to our past, and for this reason alone, are worth saving."  Indeed.