Hi, my name is Francine and I’ve been reading this website a lot as it reminds me of my lola, who just recently passed. She was always really into collecting little trinkets like dolls and magnets, but what always confused me the most was her crazy collection of bells. She had an entire glass case of them, and she would occasionally pull one out to show me the different sounds they make. She never even had a maid so I always wondered, why bells?

Anyway, after she passed, my entire family went to her house to go through her things and grieve further, and I finally asked my mom about the bells. My mom let me go through the glass case, and after years and years of seeing them and not being able to access them, it felt strange, like I was still waiting for her to show up and let me hear her favorite bell rings. 

I was finally able to get a closer look at each one, and I could understand why she protected them so fiercely. The craftsmanship on each one was incredible, with fancy engravings and special handles. But what mattered more was the history behind each one. I asked my mom where she got them from, and she told me that my grandma had just found one at a store and decided it was pretty, and from there she kept finding more. As time went on and her collection increased, family and friends would get her bells as gifts, from thrift stores to different countries, and she kept each one with her. 

Knowing just how important these bells were to her, and finally being able to hold them myself, I felt all the more closer to my lola. I asked if I could keep a few in my room, and my mom let me keep the whole case, and I’ll never remove them for anything. 

I miss you Lola, rest well 🙂