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The Importance Of Souvenir

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We all have a treasure box tucked on the top shelf of our closet. There is sits, laced in a layer of dust, sealed only by cobwebs. From the outside, our box is quiet and appears forgotten. Inside there is colorful evidence of adventure, love, beauty, travels and life. In the same box, with our most valuable treasures, are whatnots we no longer care about, illegible scribbled notes, and curiosities of no significance to us. Objects that glorify the beauty of our past hug objects that lack any meaning. On occasion, when we open that box, a breeze of nostalgia sweeps over our senses. Scents from our childhood along with a little dust tickle our nose. As memories flood our minds, goosebumps and sweet smiles serve as evidence of the value of each memento. We look around the room for a place to put a trinket picked up on our honeymoon, a photo from our childhood, but there is no room. The house is full. The word souvenir, originally meaning "token of remembrance, memento" was first recorded in 1782. Souvenir has roots in the French and Latin language referencing remembrance, memory, and coming to mind. (Online Etymology Dictionary). The modern day meaning is "A thing that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event" (. ). It is easy to consider souvenirs exclusively as something we pick up on vacation and tuck into our suitcase, The truth is we are filling our homes with all kinds of souvenirs. Our homes now mirror our suitcases. Picture your suitcase on

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