seshat's blog post - Of all those things

It was to be expected that dividing my grandmother's belongings would cause tensions. How hard it is to not become spiteful when others demonstrate their greed or disrespect. And sure, I love antiques myself and have chosen a few objects. But none elicit the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I felt just now, handling a simple smooth stylised bird made of alabaster. An object I've only ever seen in the same spot in her living room underneath a lamp shade at every family gathering, suddenly in my hands again but in another house. It's purely visceral, my memories linked to such a small and insignificant object amidst all the rest, not just the visual recognition but also the sensation, one touch reminding me of all those times in the past when I was enchanted by its cool smoothness.