"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."  ~From the television show The Wonder Years

When Soldiers pack their bags for war, they put in a few things that are important to them. These things are called comfort items. Vic took a few pictures from home, a necklace from his grandfather, and ID bracelet from his parents, his favorite baseball cap, a cross on his dog tag chain and a game system to keep him busy on the long trip over there. In Korea, Soldiers who were away from home for one year tours brought trinkets that meant a lot. Statues, pictures and items to put on their desk that reminded them of their home in the US.
When our family travels, the kids all pack their own bags of things. I used to pack items for them, inevitably forgetting the one thing they felt they had to have. I learned quickly to set out bags for them, give them a two hour time limit and tell them to pack the things they wanted to take on our trip. What they pack in those bags has given me incredible insight into what matters most to our children.
 During the deployments, those bags would be mostly filled by a special pillow made for the kids by my dear friend. Each child brought their red, white and blue pillow with Vic's picture on it. Nothing else in the bag was as important as bringing their dad with them.
 Our youngest child is the one with the most peculiar stuff. Last time we took a trip he packed a Successories picture of a football player that said "You are either part of the pavement or part of the steamroller" Something like that. I can't imagine what the guard at the metal detector must have thought x raying that bag of tricks. Rule number one on the bags is that I don't go into them to see what they have brought prior to leaving. I give them the responsibility to pack them, I'm not going to nitpick their items and make them justify why they are bringing certain things. That is why I had no idea that picture was in the bag until we arrived at our destination and the youngest pulled it out and put it next to his bed.
 We are away from home this week, visiting my mom. Yesterday when I put on my jewelry that was on the dresser in the guest room, I noticed something that didn't fit into the decor. In the middle of the dresser was our youngest's baseball trophy. For a moment I didn't know how it had gotten here, and then I remembered the bag. On this trip, the comfort item was his trophy, something he loves, something he is, and something he never wants to lose. It's important to him.