The Key Collection: Unlocking Memories, Stories, and History

After my grandparents passed, my mom undertook the giant task of cleaning out a collective 170 years of acquired things.

Lost and Found

Early on, she started to find keys—tiny keys, car keys, house keys, toolbox keys, you name it. Not knowing which key went to which thing, she kept them all in one box in case she found the mate.

By the time I came to town to help, she had dozens and dozens of mysterious keys in that box. Most of the locks they belong to are long gone. Houses moved out of and demolished, old cars sold years ago,

Lockable grade school diaries lost along the way, bike locks for bikes that last hit the road in the '70s, china cabinets, chests, cupboards, and armoires are all faint memories now.

The Symbolism of Keys: Holding on to the Past

There is something about throwing away a key that feels so permanent—it feels like officially giving up on the possibility of unlocking its lock. So we keep keys, even when we know we'll likely never use them again. We all do it. I've already got a decent little collection of miscellaneous keys—only 40ish years into my acquiring.

"I like the idea that we're all holding onto some things we don't know what for, with the hope that one day we just might."

A Skeleton Key: Unlocking the past

Digging through those keys, I found a tiny skeleton key and stuck it on the necklace I was wearing. I won't ever know what it unlocked, but I like the idea of the possibilities.

When I told my mom I'd add this piece to the "Texas Collection," I mentioned I wasn't sure it made sense; it just felt like it belonged. She responded, "It belongs because you are unlocking the past. Unlocking memories. Unlocking stories."

And boy, is she right. This collection has been like pouring through a pile of old family journals, discovering and unlocking more than I could have imagined.

The Key Collection: A Tribute to Unlocking the Past

This key is about so much more than a key—It's about stories and memories and history waiting to be unlocked. It's a symbol of hope and possibility of discovering and unlocking.