My grandmother on my father's side had a lot of kids....a lot. Uncle George (oldest) fought in the Pacific Theater during WWII and was discharged before my dad (youngest) was born.

All his brothers and sisters were either in the military, traveled a lot, or both. It became a "thing" for them to purchase salt and pepper shaker sets for my grandma as souvenirs of their travels.

She kept them in a glass-fronted China cabinet. I was fascinated by them, not only because of their unique variety (most were cheap trinkets, tbh) but also because of the history behind each one. She was proud of each set and loved telling about where they came from. My child's imagination was sparked by those stories.

When she passed away, they were all discarded. No one accepted responsibility but they were gone, all the same. I never saw them in any of my aunt or uncle's homes so I'm pretty sure they were just thrown out.

Sorry, I know this is rambling but I couldn't help thinking about her, reading this.

Love your family and also love the things they loved, memories are triggered by the smallest things.