The Nun's Trunk

My dear friend and co-worker, Kathi, shared a sweet story with me today. A month or so ago she walked into her favorite thrift store and saw a trunk for sale. On it was a tag that read: "This trunk belonged to a nun who gave it to the nurse who took care of her in the nursing home. The nurse's son donated it to help Meals on Wheels."Kathi kept thinking about the trunk for weeks.This past weekend she went back and the piece was waiting for her to take it home. She shared the tag with me along with the story. Immediately, I began to create stories about the nun and her trunk. Imagine the prayers, the secrets, and the amount of Godly things she must have kept in there. I was touched by the words. I was moved by the endless stories that were held inside this chest that might have come from her own heart. How many places could this luggage have traveled? How many memories could it still hold in its walls?There is a sacredness to this...There is spirituality and awareness of so many things we may leave for others. Our legacies are forever wrapped in perception and hearts. How others see us. How others love us. How others hold space for our lives. There are a million stories that we can create from just being in the presence of such a piece while speculating on its history. How many of us keep an invisible trunk full of memories and lovely things that become invaluable to us throughout the years? How many times do we go into a journal, a photo album, or remnants from the past trying to gather pieces of ourselves from long ago? We hold our children, parents, pets, friends, and family close at heart in memorabilia. Each piece of those items pin points significant moments in our timelines. Here in this trunk how many things did that nun carry with her? It's in tact. It's beautiful. My friend says that it felt like a little part of that soul went to her home with her. It's in those small corners of things left behind that we find ourselves over and over again. This can be in a vintage dress, an old purse, jewelry, used books, or even baseball cards. We hold a piece of history and allow it to merge with our own.If only for a little while, as we pass through this life, can we all find a piece of someone else's story so delicately intertwining into our existence. The memory of a nun and her trunk made it to a special woman's house who collects amazing pieces of history. And in one conversation I became part of that history re-creating the endless possibilities of a faithful woman and her empty storage.   Nothing is of insignificance. Every part of our walk on this earth allows us to learn and evolve. We might never know what we leave behind for another so try to leave it with good intentions. Have a great day, dear friends.