"I get knocked down, but I get up again"

Woah.

Today’s #Bloganuaryprompt hit me right in the feels. Ooft.

What is a treasure that’s been lost?

Well.

I’ve lived in over 27 houses and probably 10-20 “dwellings” on top of that…so I’ve lost a lot of my possessions over the years just through moving so bloody much. Something gets lost. Something gets left behind.

I didn’t have a close relationship with my Grandparents, so when they died, it didn’t really mean anything to me. I didn’t know them. What I do have though, is a grainy, blurry memory of my Grandmother in the Philippines. I was only about 3? I remember everyone stood in line and my Grandmother in a seat at the end, touching everyone one at a time as the line moved forward; saying something to them in Tagalog and giving them a gift.

When it was my turn, Grandmother – “Lola” in Filipino – gave me a necklace or a bracelet with a jade stone on it. I thought the ‘little green rock’ was pretty and I remember about 2 minutes later, I’d lost it. I’d put it down somewhere or probably given it to someone (I love to share, bless my heart) and that was it. Gone.

Along with the memory of what my Grandmother looked like or sounded like. I don’t remember if she told me anything. I don’t know how expensive the jade necklace/bracelett was – maybe I’d lost a fortune? Something valuable? A treasure?

All I know was that I was easily distracted, that it held no meaning to me and that’s probably why I so quickly lost it and had no real recollection of what it was or the moment surrounding it.

Which leads me – finally – to the point of today’s blog…what do we treasure?

For me, it’s letters. I still have letters my friends and I passed in class in highschool – in tact and carefully kept in boxes that have followed me from house, to flat, to apartment, to sleeping on the streets, to houses again…to England and back to Australia…to Darwin and back to Perth. These were my treasures and there was NO WAY I was going anywhere without them.

Without wanting to though, I’ve lost a lot of letters. Funnily enough, they’re the ones that meant the MOST to me – letters Matt used to write me when we were dating (and we all know how obsessed I was with that boy, right?), letters my Dad wrote to me when we just didn’t know how else to communicate, letters from my Mom when I was with an abusive boyfriend and she would beg me in Christmas cards “please leave him, my love – come home“.

Letters from people I love. They’re the treasures I’ve lost.

I so wish I hadn’t – especially when it comes to letters from my Dad. When you lose someone you love without warning – it tears your soul apart. I’m desperately trying to preserve the memory of my Dad in any way I can and I know I would have loved to have kept ALL the letters he wrote me.

Words are my love language. They’re how I give and recieve love. If I love you, I’ll write to you. A LOT. Alun gets SO MANY little notes/post-its, texts, Facebook messenger notifications…I’m all over that man with words…ALL THE TIME.

I write constantly to my friends – and when they write to ME? OMG I feel like I’ve won the lottery, it’s such a blessing. I LOVE BEING WRITTEN TO!

I think back to that faded memory with my Grandmother. I think if she’d given me a letter, I’d still have it now.

What do you place value in, guys? What’s a treasure for you? I’d honestly like to know so please leave a comment below if you can.

Until tomorrow – take care xx