Thirty Days of Gratitude - Day 24 - Boxes

I have always been fascinated with boxes, perhaps because I love to have my life completely compartmentalized. My ideal world has a place for everything and everything in its place. This pile of boxes represents some the of the things in my life that I am grateful for.

The tiny box at the top of the stack is usually in my pocket. It contains the medicine that makes it possible for me to live a normal life. It also has an eagle engraved in the lid which reminds me of our son, Ed.

The second box in the stack contains a small collection of pocket knives. Some are large, some are small. Some are old, and some are new. All of them have been gifts and I cherish each one.

The cherry colored box was a "Thanks" award from one of my clients and contains some of my small jewelry items. If you look closely, you can see the fake teeth I brought home from our last family reunion.

The light colored wood box contains some of the treasures that were handed down by my sweet Mother in Law, Grace Wagner, including her mouth organ which I can't play.

There are many boxes that are not pictured. One was built when I was in Primary. Another contains my oil paints and brushes. Yet another contains thread, needles, ribbons, plastic eyes and noses. These are my teddy bear supplies. There are shadow boxes on our walls. They contain collections of trinkets gathered over the years. There are toy cars from my wife, and clay teddy bears fashioned by my daughter, Andi, a stone apple made by Rob, and pictures of my parents. Each of the boxes has had a specific purpose.

The box that is the most special to me is my stone box, which was created for me by my son, Rob. It was made representing the stone box in which the gold plates were hidden in the hill Cumorah. It holds my Spanish scriptures including my Bible and my Triple combination. The triple contains the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. I used these books when I was a missionary. I am now using English versions of the same books.

Boxes of themselves have no value. They contain things that are symbolic to me. These little personal treasures help me remember what is important in my life. I'm grateful for my little collection of boxes.