Objects We Keep: Grandma’s Hummel’s Copyright 2020 by Karen Nicole Johnson

ObjectsWeKeep:Grandma’sHummel

Whenwewerelittle,wewouldvisitour

Grandma’s apartment, it was a pretty

simple situation, a one-bedroom, one-

bathroom, one-person home. My

grandma didn’t have much, I see that

now. But as a child, I felt my grandma

wasoneofthehappiestpersonsIknew

andgrowingupIcouldseetherewasn’t

always a correlation between having

thingsandhavinghappiness.Therewas

apurenessaboutherloveandaffectionforhergrandkids.Ifeltwantedbyheratherplace

andIfeltwantedbyherwhenshewasatourplace.Kidsknowwheretheyarewantedeven

betterthanadultscanfigurethisout.Ithinkshehadthesameaffectionforlife.Shehada

particularsparkoflife.

OneofthefewthingssheownedwasthreeHummelfigurines;twogirlHummel’sandaboy

Hummeljustlikethekidsinourfamily,twogirlsandaboy.Therewasagirlstanding,alittle

boyfigurinewhistlingandthethirdoneasmallergirlfeedingbabychicks.Mymomtoldus-

somedayeachofthethreeofyoukids(meaningmymom’schildrenastherewerenoother

grandkids)willeachownoneofgrandma’sHummel’s.Whenyou’regrown,whenyouknow

howtotakecareofsuchavaluableitem.Ithadn’toccurredtomethatwhatmommighthave

Objects We Keep: Grandma’s Hummel’s Copyright 2020 by Karen Nicole Johnson

meantwaswhengrandmaisnolongerwithus,thenyouwilleachownonewhichishowit

turnedout.

Nowalltheseyearsandmanymoveslater,IownoneHummel.Thelittlegirlfeedingbaby

chicks.The simplicity ofwhat appears a younggirl in amomentof feeding animals.The

simplicityofthefigurinelikehowmygrandmalivedsimplyatleastduringtheyearsIwas

aliveandaware.

MyHummelholdsthememory.Thememoryofmygrandma,herapartmentandherperson.

Mymomandherinstructionaboutwhenyou’reoldenoughtotakecareofsomething.Now

somanyyearslater,thereshe-isthefigurineofalittlegirlonashelfinmyhome.Iwasthe

youngestandthisHummelseemedtheyoungesttoo.LookingatmyHummel,Ithinkofmy

brotherandsisterandIwonderwheretheirHummelisintheirhome-theselittlefigurines

linkingustogetherandofcourse,linkingustograndmaandmom.Sheisasweetlittlefigure

andawarmmemorythatcan’tbeseenvisiblybutisfeltbymyheart.Iknowthismightsound

sappy but all these years later, there are just a few objects that physically appear as

remindersofmygrandmaandtheyholdtremendousvaluetome.