The origin of the word memento was, according to Thesaurus.com, from “c.1400…in the Canon of the Mass which began with the Latin word memento and in which the dead are commemorated.” The Latin word memento means remember. The English definition is: an object that reminds us of a person or event. Two synonyms for the word memento are a souvenir and curio.
We have a curio cabinet that belonged to my husband’s maternal grandmother, Nana. We acquired it when she died several years ago. Some of the items we kept in it were hers or gifts from her as well. The cabinet and some of its contents are our mementos of her.
When we were putting in new floors in the living room the furniture was being moved around and the curio cabinet tipped over and the mirror inside shattered. I was upset because this cabinet meant something to me.
It has been lying on its back on an old table ever since while we try to decide what to do with it. My daughter said it looked like it was waiting for surgery. A brother-in-law said it looked like a coffin. This evening I did have some candles on top of it for Halloween which goes along with the coffin image.
The broken curio cabinet reminds me how fragile things are and that they do not last forever. Although I may not always have this memento of Nana we will still have our memories of her and her love.
Forget-me-not
Notes Tied On The Sagebrush 
Sorry to hear about the broken curio cabinet; I can understand why you were upset when that happened. Very moving post and great tie-in with the SOCS prompt for this week!
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Thank You very much. I have been thinking about the word memento and saw the word in another post. That started me thinking and exploring the word.
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Very touching ! I can imagine the memories the cabinet has for you… Grandparents are so special…
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Like a bruise, the shattered mirror can be helped. If not, like a scar it can remind you of how you felt regarding Nana. Hope you put it back on display. Nice post
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Thank You. The cabinet is battered but I don’t want to get rid of it. Writing about it is motivating me to find out how it can be repaired. Thanks for you comment.
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It’s so true – nothing lasts forever. Which is why our memories are so important, and why we need to pass them down, even more so than mementos. Thanks for your touching story, Deborah! 🙂
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I have a hosier cabinet that belonged to my grandparents, and is ant the center of some of my earliest memories. My parents stored paint on it, and it’s been battered.
I’ve repurposed it as a writing desk; she used it for baking, but I’m too tall to do the same. Recently, I took the doors off the hutch shelves; I’m moving slowly to repair and restore it.
Maybe you will take the mirror out, or replace it, or just use it as it is, right now – it could make an interesting centerpiece…
Life does go on, but sometimes our visions don’t keep up with the impermanence of it…
This was a poignant post with many levels and layers. I’m sad about the curio cabinet, but happy that you were moved to write this.
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Thank you for your comment. It is an interesting story about your family’s cabinet as well. It is so nice to have the history and memories that are attached to the objects. I know I have to research what it will entail to have the mirror replaced or do something creative like you have.
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One of my cousins mentioned the cabinet a while back, remembering the line of cereal boxes our grandparents always kept on top of it. It was wonderful to be able to send her pictures and a blog post I wrote about it. She lives in another state, and thought she’d never see it again.
I hope that the time comes when you know just what to do with the curio cabinet, too.
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