I love music. Anyone who has met me knows that. Music lifts me up. If you hear me singing, you might beg for mercy because I can’t carry a tune worth a darn, but it still brings me joy. My best memory is when I was about ten years old. My sisters and I used to do dishes while crooning away. It made the chores go faster. We would also have variety shows in our basement on Sharon St., dress up, and sing for the neighbor kids.

Music is wonderful. When you need a pick-me-up, put on your favorite tunes, turn the volume up, and sing, sing, sing!

Have you noticed that sometimes the younger generation does not understand why we have so much stuff in our houses and why we can’t just get rid of it all? (You will catch my point in a second.) I will tell you why, those things are full of memories.

So, here are some lyrics that I wrote to help explain it. It is my switcheroo on a song that is quite fitting: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things. This is about all the stuff in our houses and why we cannot let go.

Dad’s service medals and Mom’s special pie plate,
Needlepoint pillows, a hat from our first date,
Our dining room table, with water rings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Beautiful china, Dad bought overseas,
Barbies and crystal and Grandma’s great LPs.
Tante’s old rocker with just a few dings,
These are a some of my favorite things.

Mikey’s old Legos, and a stein from my brother,
Hummels and bookshelves, a round cookie cutter,
My hubby’s sweater, I keep for the smell,
All of my treasures, I cherish them well.

Our family bible, Gerritt’s cigar boxes
Mom’s dress up stole, made from red foxes,
A beautiful set that is now one earring,
Ah, I remember my favorite things.

Getting so faded is my wedding dress,
There’re boxes of photos, oh what a mess.
Each item around me has a memory it brings
Yes, these are all of my favorite things.

When my head aches, when my knee stings,
When I miss those who were mine,
I simply look at my favorite things
Then I go back in time.

So, you see, children, it isn’t about the items, it is about the memories that they instill. You think of it all as junk. Your parents think of it all as treasures. My hope is that if you can see it through their eyes, perhaps you can also see how much it means to them.

Be kind. Be respectful, and maybe, just maybe, as you are going through items with them, you can put on Sinatra or Elvis or even Durante and enjoy the memories together.

Jean Long Manteufel writes a column on the first Sunday of each month about life changes associated with aging. A collection of her columns is available in paperback and on Kindle. She can be reached at 920-734-3260 or Jean@TransitionsWithJean.com