Love Letters

I went through an old box I've kept since I was a child. Inside this box is a bunch of things that others may find silly, but I don't. One of those things is a pinecone I picked up when I was 7 yrs old at school. I thought it was really pretty and shaped oddly (to me), I convinced myself that no other pinecone wanted to be it's friend as it was on the ground all alone, so I promised I would keep it forever and I did. I never break a promise. Especially not to a pinecone. 

Among other things are some letters from my best friend. She lived in the next street, but she would write to me all the time. Letter after letter in colourful pens, stickers, and perfect envelopes. She would tell me how awesome I was and how lucky she was to have me as a friend. Then, she would place stickers all over the letter to say things like "I love you" and "you're amazing"

We were 8 yrs old, and little did she know how much they meant to me and that I would keep them forever. 

Something else that stood out was 2 cassette tapes that my father kept until the day he died - hidden deep in his closet. The tapes are of me, singing when I was 5 yrs old. He thought I was adorable. I knew every word to his favourite songs. I memorised them to make him happy and proud. He captioned the tapes with his hand writing, "Lina, the performer." When he passed away, they were given to me, but they never felt like they belonged to me, only to him. 

I think I'm sentimental like him. 

I opened that box the other night. It smells of nostalgia. A strong and powerful fragrance. I read the letters. I listened to the tapes. I cried...