Have you ever noticed that old books, letters, photo albums share a scent?  It’s musty and earthy… it smells like Time, like memories.  Friday night I was looking for something I want to share with a friend of mine but am having difficulty finding.  I fear that it has gone the way of the Do-Do in one of the moves I’ve gone through over the last 3 years but I thought I would look in the last possible place it could be in; my box in the garage.  My box is full of a variety of things; memorabilia mostly, old letters and photos, pictures the kids have drawn for me over the years, but some odds and ends have made their way in there as well so I thought just maybe… unfortunately, it was not there.  However, in digging through the box I came across several pictures of me and my 2nd husband together.  It’s jarring, to come across photos of an old Love… but somehow you just can’t stop yourself from looking… and, not unlike looking at a bad car wreck, you come away feeling slightly shaken and sick to your stomach.  Also in the box of memories I found a letter my Grandmother had written to me 10 years ago while I lived out-of-state with my 1st husband, “I love to receive letters” she wrote “they’re keepsakes, a phone call is nice but after you get through talking, you have nothing left, but a bill.  I keep letters…”.  My Grandmother turned 80 years old this year.  Over the past few years she has slowly lost more and more of her memories and cognizant ability to Alzheimer’s.  I haven’t been able to bring myself to visit her in over a year because I’m terrified that she will look at me and not remember me… I don’t want to have that memory of Mammaw.   I’m thinking about writing her a letter.  I think I miss her more than anyone I’ve ever loved… but I’m happy to have this keepsake to keep her close to me and remind of who she was.