The Immeasurable Value of Love Tokens

Famous for his 60-second telephone conversations, Grandpa was a man of action, not words, and it was through his actions that he expressed his love for those close to him. When I was in college, he built a loft for my dorm room that made me the envy of all my friends. Years later, when I was living alone and in graduate school, he brought me a wooden two-by-four to prop against the front door of my apartment each night as a security measure. Though the latter seemed a bit extreme and was perhaps unecessary, I knew that it was another way in which Grandpa's love for me shone through.

It was quite a surprise one day when Grandpa almost appeared to be blushing as he quickly handed me a small wooden item that resembled a ring box. As you may have guessed by now, he had quite a fascination with wood. For many years, he had built houses. He even built for his wife, who was a cosmetologist, her own barber shop/beauty salon. Because Grandpa's actions were often "big," the dainty item he had handed to me that day just didn't seem characteristic of him. Though he had not made it with his own hands, he was giving it to me from his heart.

As I slowly opened the box, I was not exactly expecting the image of a ladybug on a tiny spring to jump out at me. After I got over the initial shock however, my eyes zoomed in on the words "I love you" that appeared inside of the box. I laughed and gave Grandpa a big hug, thanking him for this heartfelt trinket.

Trinkets are often viewed as cheap, meaningless items that do nothing but add to the clutter that most people hate. However, I have kept a host of trinkets over the years. I simply put them away in places where they are normally out of view but where I can easily get to them whenever I want a tangible item to help me remember some of the special moments that I have shared with loved ones. And whenever I do somehow manage to lose a trinket (which is rare but does happen), I spend hours, days, or even weeks trying to locate it.

You never know what value a small, inexpensive item can hold to another person if given for no special occasion and purely out of love. This item may be viewed as a good luck charm to the recipient, or something meaningful enough for them to keep for the rest of their life and possibly even pass down through their family. I am thankful that I am one who can appreciate such tokens of love.