Today I welcome author Janet Morris Grimes as she shares about heirlooms and writing.

No one could have predicted the timing of all that has taken place in our lives over the past few months. After losing both my mother-in-law in March and my mother in April, our home has now absorbed many items from each of their homes.

I’m sure it will take years before we’ve emotionally processed all that transpired with their respective illnesses, but for now we still need to determine what to do with their treasured belongings. We’ve got everything from clothes to photos, dishes to decorations, furnishings to furniture.

At first, we could hardly walk through our living room. The situation has improved since then, but we quickly learned a very important lesson.

All that matters are the memories.

In that aspect, we’re working our way through this exhausting battle, one bin at a time.

Finding the right balance of what to keep and where to put it is important. Our home still needs to breathe, and ultimately, share our story as well.

In the living room is an old cherry sewing cabinet. It’s empty now, but serves as a great entry table. My father bought that for my mother when she won a sewing machine a year or two after they got married. That stays.

In our guest bedroom is a room divider from my mother-in-law’s apartment, now draped with a photo blanket someone gave us after her funeral. Priceless.

In our bedroom is an orchid, an Old Rugged Cross plaque and a Bible; all gifts from the second funeral. Just a few items on a shelf with a framed photo from Mom’s birthday underneath and a memorial lantern. What a story they share. Not too much back story, but just enough.

A hand-sewn Christmas quilt will come out when the season calls for it. A mini US Post office drop box reminds us of my mother-in-law’s career spent as a rural mail carrier.

I think this can be handled in respectful ways. If something doesn’t serve a purpose, we probably don’t need to keep it.

But in no way does this mean we’ve moved on. The truth is that they are so much a part of us, we can’t share our own story without sharing theirs.

As a writer, one of the best ways to honor the memory of our loved ones is to include little nods to them in the stories we craft for others.

My award-winning debut novel, Solomon’s Porch, is loosely based on my father-in-law. When we lost him ten years ago, we were floored by all the stories of behind-the-scenes kindness he showed to others. He had a knack for showing up at the right time to do the exact right thing. To offer a prayer, to provide a ride, to drop off some groceries. Simple, yet life-changing tasks.

The fact that he demonstrated kindness was no surprise; but the lasting impressions of it made for quite a story.

Soon after, Solomon Thomas was born, and I couldn’t wait to share his story.

As writers of fiction, our truths are everywhere. So don’t be surprised if you don’t find a favorite mug with a cardinal on it or a hand-painted picture of the old homestead on a wall in one of my future stories.

Like all of us, these items are waiting to share their stories as well.

When the time is right.

About the Author:

Janet Morris Grimes may not have realized she was a writer at the time, but her earliest childhood memories were spent creating fairy-tale stories of the father she never knew. That desire to connect with the mysterious man in a treasured photograph gave her a deep love for the endless possibilities of a healing and everlasting story. 

A 2022 Carol Award Finalist for her debut novel, Solomon's Porch, Janet is also a writer/music reviewer for Nashville Arts & Entertainment and Crossroad Magazines. She is also a devotional contributor to Christian Woman, Power for Today, Inspire a Fire, and The Christian Pulse. Janet has featured stories in several anthologies, including The Spirit of Christmas and Sweet Tea for the Soul: Real-Life Stories for Grieving Hearts.

A wife of one, mother of three, and Tootsie to four, Janet currently writes from her quiet two-acre corner of the world near Elizabethtown, KY. As her debut novel and first children's story have been introduced to the world, she can't wait to follow the next breadcrumb of a story to see where it leads. 

Stories that stretch your heartstrings. 

An unforgettable combination.

Connect online:

Solomon's Porch  A 2022 Carol Awards Finalist for Debut Novel!

http://janetmorrisgrimes.com

Do Your Best, Tess! - the first of a children's series - released July '22!