16 Objects That Marked Their Owners’ Hearts as If They Were Mini Tattoos

We all have some object that is loaded with a certain emotional value. It can be something valuable in its own right or a simple piece of lint that somehow brings us closer to our fondest memories. As the sentient beings that we humans are, we collect those things that can transport us to a happy place. That was the case for these 16 people who shared their stories.

• A black dress I bought myself. I bought the dress in Orange County and went back to the shop 4 times to look at it, and my friend finally lost his temper and demanded I buy it before he bought it for me. It was the first dress I’d ever worn that made me feel beautiful. I couldn’t fit into it now if you paid me, but I still have it hanging in my closet to remind me. © CatrionaShadowleaf / Reddit
• Our cat passed last October, and we still have her cat tower. I can’t bring myself to part with it. My husband had her before we met, so she was with us our entire relationship/marriage.
  She was our baby, our little family. But she developed very aggressive breast cancer. Being the feisty orange fur ball she was, she fought it so hard. She went into the cubby of her cat tower and never left it. © Purple_Routine1297 / Reddit

• When I was pregnant, I made my son a scrapbook full of pictures of his family. His grandparents, me, and his dad when we were together (we have since separated). I added pictures of him in his 1st year of life. Some of those family members have since passed. We look at the book often enough, and he asks for stories of the people who are no longer around. This is the most sentimental thing we have, and I can’t wait to gift it to him when he’s 18. © indie_disco21 / Reddit
• The quilts my husband’s aunt made for us. She makes a quilt for every birth and marriage in the family. My children each have one, and we have one for when we got married. The one she made for us is especially sentimental.
  He and I weren’t talking at the time she made it and sent it. We were actually thinking about separating at that time, we were having so many disagreements on everything. But the quilt arrived, by surprise, on Valentine’s Day that year. I took it as a sign to talk it out, and we did. © avoidnoise8787 / Reddit

• When I was a kid, I cut off a little bit of my cats’ and my bunny’s fur and put it in a little box along with a description of them and their character. Now, about 17 years later, I still have that box, and I can touch and smell my pets’ fur. The purpose was originally so I could clone them in the future. But now I know that they still wouldn’t be the same—even if somehow I had the means to clone them. © justnotmything94 / Reddit
• My Christmas ornaments. They tell the story of my whole family, and each one is precious. Every year we get a new one, and every year I put them up and think about how our lives are on the tree.
  From the knitted ones my granny made before she passed, the “baby’s 1st Christmas” ones, and the ones to remember the babies we never got to have Christmas with, the handmade ones, the funny ones, the memorial ones, the holiday ones. I love them all. © Kimmbley / Reddit

• The home itself. My grandfather built it, he and my father hand-dug and laid the cinder blocks for the basement. My grandparents raised me, and my grandfather has been gone for over 20 years now. I could buy something bigger and better, but it would never be home like this. © Black_Tears524 / Reddit
• A duck pillow. My family and I used to live near a pond that was so beautiful, and I used to visit every day after school and fed the ducks bread. One duck, in particular, was our favorite. He/she had some dark spots on its skin. We liked it because it reminded us of our dad (he has a skin condition called Vitiligo).
  Sadly, we had to move houses due to my dad’s work being so far, and we never saw the duck again, so we decided to get a pillow for our old friend. © se**fly63 / Reddit

• A painting of the Ferris wheel at the local amusement park. My twin brother painted it as a Christmas gift; my husband and I both worked at that park when we met, and we both operated the Ferris wheel sometimes. © insertcaffeine / Reddit
• I always wanted a Kitchen-Aid mixer, and it was the last Christmas gift I got from my mom before she passed. She couldn’t afford to purchase it outright, so she set up payments on it. I found out after she passed. My dad ended up paying it off. I told him I could pay it and I didn’t mind, but he was insistent. He stated, “she wanted you to have that.” © Sweetbabie209 / Reddit

What is that object that you’d keep forever? What’s the story behind it that makes it so valuable?