The Keepthings

I do the NYT Spelling Bee every morning, and the day I started writing this week’s Substack essay, the word that got me to Genius level was “tomcat.” No doubt in my mind that was a special someone saying hello from the great beyond. In life when he wanted some love, he’d roll around at your feet. One thousand percent he’d have a new bag of tricks in the afterlife. Here’s a taste of the very excellent boy I’m talking about: “Who knows where he came from. Sometime in 2018 he started showing up at a particular house on Varsity Road, lounging on the sidewalk out front and the porch around back. He was slender (if a little potbellied), young but not a baby, gritty street-cat white with a black tail and black curtain bangs parted down the middle and a large swath of black on his back as though he’d been draped in a bearskin rug. You or I might not have thought *marshmallow*, but the five-year-old girl of the house did, and it stuck. If the back door was open, Marshie would stroll in and find a comfy spot for a long, hard nap. ‘Like he was coming off a bender,' the mom of the house says. 'Like if Uncle Buck were a cat.’” I hope you’ll head over to Substack to keep reading about Marshie (TheKeepthings.substack.com, or click the link in bio).

THE ORANGE PILL BOTTLE FULL OF QUARTERS • “He tossed and caught it to make the quarters rattle, and I could tell he was proud of having found the perfect vessel for them.” • • (@ganaiacreates thank you for sharing this beautiful story of a perfect match) • • • Ganaia Praema is the Iowa-based writer of the Substack “Wild Moon Queen.” She has self-published ebooks of poetry, historical fiction and travel memoir, and is producing audio editions to be released in 2026. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #pillbottle #magiclove #maharishiuniversity #fairfieldiowa #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

DAD’S ARMY CAP • “It instantly conjured him in full dad mode, fixing something, building something.” • • (@ilene_angel , thank you for sharing this wonderful story) • • • Ilene Angel is a New York-based author and award-winning songwriter who became her father’s full-time caregiver in the final years of his life. Her fourth book, Caregiving for Your Parents—A Step-by-Step Guide for the Overwhelmed and Unprepared, is forthcoming in April. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well—including, with this story, a photo of the author’s dad wearing his cap while serving in Korea. • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #armycap #koreanwarvet #koreanwar #usarmyveteran #lowereastsidenyc #fathersanddaughters❤️ #missingmydad #dadmode #dadknowsbest #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

DAD’S COMPASS • “He always knew where he was headed, whether traveling by car, by boat or by snowmobile.” • •
(@matriarchme thank you for sharing this loving tribute) • • • Debra Palmquist is a fourth-generation Minnesotan who writes about loss and grief. A student of phenology, she records events in the natural and human world through daily drawings. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well. • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #trunordcompass #vintagecompass #snowmobilelife #arcticcat #minnesotalife #fathersanddaughters❤️ #missingmydad #dadknowsbest #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

THE CASH REGISTER • “He had a strong sense of nostalgia and a deep regard for objects made to stand the test of time.” • • (@hoosiercrick thank you for sharing this beautiful story) • • • Jennifer Crick lives in Denver with her husband and their two young children. She has an MBA from the University of California Irvine, and in her work as a business consultant she draws on the many skills her father taught her. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well—including, with this story, an all-time great wedding photo. • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #vintagecashregister #antiquecashregister #fathersanddaughters #daddysgirl❤️ #missingmydad #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

THE RECIPE BOX • “After she died, I made dishes from it for months, wanting to feel closer to her, wanting to understand us.” • • (@sweavermph thank you for sharing this bittersweet story) • • • Stephanie Weaver, MPH, is a writer and TED-style speaking coach. Her fifth book—Bitter, Sweet: How to Heal Yourself When Your Family Is Broken—is due out in April and explores family estrangement through the lens of her mother’s recipe box. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well. • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #recipebox #momsrecipes #griefandgrace #estrangement #familyestrangement #csasurvivor #traumasurvivors #generationaltrauma #generationaltraumahealing #complicatedgrief #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

THE BIRD FEEDER • “Before I left for college, I built it for him, knowing he had a favorite window where he liked to watch the birds come and go.” • • (@stephenrueckert thank you for sharing this beautiful story) • • • Stephen Rueckert (evetstrekceur.com) is a visual artist whose interests span all things natural, scientific, ever-present, everlasting and unexplained. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well—including, for this story, video of a sculpture Rueckert made in case his father comes back as a bird 🐦🐧🐦‍⬛🦜🕊️👏❤️ • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #handmadebirdfeeder #birdfeedersofinstagram #giftformydad #kankakee #kankakeeriver #quartermastercorps #fathersandsons #growingupinthe60s #missingmydad #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #gonebutnotforgotten❤️#lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

THE LAST ORNAMENT • “He loved Christmas.” • • (@ciaramcelroy75 thank you for sharing the story of your wonderful dad 🎄❤️🎄) • • • Ciara McElroy, an oncology social worker and therapist, lives in South Orange, NJ, with her husband and two teenage children. To her father’s dismay, she became an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan, but still has a soft spot for the Giants because of her dad. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well. • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #christmasornament #christmastreeornament #christmastradition🎄#stmichaelsmaryland @meetmeinmaryland #bestfatherintheworld #fathersanddaughters❤️ #missingmydad #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #gonebutnotforgotten❤️#lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

THE LOVE CUFF • “Life as a young Black man in the segregated South hardened my grandfather, but this cuff shows me a softer side.” • • (@mstonilove thank you for sharing this resonant story) • • •  Mary Tonita Austin is a self-published poet and community activist living outside Philadelphia. She’s working on a personal narrative and a second poetry book. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well. • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #cuffbracelet #handmadebracelet #lovetoken #tokenoflove #baptistpreacher #seabees #jimcrowera #thegreatmigration #grandparentslove #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #gonebutnotforgotten❤️#lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

THE WEDDING-CAKE BRIDE • “The little bride stood stoically, fundamentally unchanging, while my mother quietly metamorphosed.” • • (@webloomhere thank you for sharing this lovely story) • • • Margaret Bloom is the author of two handcraft books (Hawthorn Press, UK) and is working on a third. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her family. • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well. • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #weddingcaketopper #funmom #mothersanddaughters❤️ #missingmymom #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #gonebutnotforgotten❤️#lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

ALEX’S VICTORINOX • “For Alex, food was the engine of love. This knife was his first financial splurge and became his prized possession.” • • (@jaimiezongli thank you for sharing this beautiful love story)
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Jaimie Li received a bachelor’s degree in jurisprudence from Oxford University in 2011, and an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College in 2022. She teaches workshops at Hugo House in Seattle and is working on a memoir.  • • • This and every Keepthings story can also be read free on Substack (TheKeepthings.substack.com), where you’ll find occasional bonus content as well. • • • If you enjoyed this story, please consider liking, commenting or sharing, all of which help more people find @TheKeepthings . • • • #victorinoxknife #victorinox #younglove #sundayroasts #oxforduniversity #windsorengland #tbi #shattereddreams #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #gonebutnotforgotten❤️#lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou

I’ve been traveling a lot in the past few months, both far and near, and when I was in Asbury Park a couple weekends ago, I finally got around to photographing some of the great memorial benches there. If there’s a memorial bench in your life—because it pays tribute to a loved one or just because it’s in a place you go—tell me about it in the comments or DM me a picture so I can appreciate it too 💓 • • • #memorialbench #asburyparkboardwalk #asburyparknj #asburyparkpress #keepthing #keepthings #thekeepthings #meaningfulthings #meaningfulobjects #objectswithmeaning #thecomfortofthings #thingsthatmatter #thingsremembered #gonebutnotforgotten❤️#lostlovedones #loveandloss #griefandloss #griefjourney #griefawareness #memento #materialculture #flashnonfiction #micromemoir #shareyourstory #iwillrememberyou