The Birth of
Recollections Within
From Keepsakes to Community
This is the story of how Recollections Within came to life. Born from memory, grief, and the enduring thread of love.
A Name Whispered in the Quiet
When I first dreamed up Recollections Within, I was lying down for a nap. I was fighting some kind of garden-variety winter bug. It was December 6, 2022. In that surreal space between awake and asleep, the name came to me. It felt like a gift, almost as if it had been whispered into my heart. I didn’t know it then, but I would later realize that the initials of Recollections Within are also my Mum’s initials. That realization brought me to tears. It was as if she had a hand in this from the very beginning.
The Keepsake Idea
At the time, I envisioned Recollections Within as a way to create memorial jewelry: unique pieces that would hold treasured memories close to the heart. I imagined crafting keepsakes from flowers, locks of hair, handwritten signatures, and other precious mementos. My goal was to transform intangible memories into physical objects that could be worn, held, and cherished every day.
But as I explored the idea further, I realized that I wasn’t as drawn to creating physical objects as I was to the stories behind them. It wasn’t the jewelry itself that mattered to me. It was the memories they represented. The more I thought about it, the clearer it became: my passion wasn’t about crafting keepsakes, but about honouring the love and history connected to them.
I kept the name Recollections Within tucked away, unsure of what it would become. But it lingered in my mind, waiting patiently for its purpose to unfold.
A New Chapter: Honouring Stories and Community
Years later, I find myself here, in a very different and challenging time in the world, finally realizing what Recollections Within is meant to be. It’s not just about keepsakes. It’s not about things. It’s about the memories behind them. It’s about creating a safe, welcoming space where women can share and preserve their personal journeys, connect through shared experiences, and find healing through storytelling.
I’ve always believed that physical things hold such importance because of the memories they evoke. My most priceless possessions aren’t valuable in a monetary sense. They’re reminders of love and connection. My Mum’s handwriting in old cards and recipes, the spatula she used every Christmas, the blown glass pendant holding her ashes. These things are precious because of the stories behind them.
When my beautiful mother-in-law asked me what things of hers I might want one day, I told her it wasn’t so much physical things that I hoped for, but the history behind them. The quilts she lovingly made over the decades, the everyday objects that remind me of her life, and her anecdotes of my magnificent husband as a little boy. Things like these that are more valuable to me than anything else.
“These things are precious because of the stories behind them.”
More Than Memory
Although they are both gone now, these two incredible women signify so much of who I am and what I value. Their love, resilience, and experiences live on in my heart, and they are woven into the very fabric of Recollections Within.
Recollections Within is about celebrating those stories. Yours, mine, all of our stories. It’s about honouring love in all its forms: past and present, here and beyond. It’s about building a community where women feel safe to share their journeys, whether they’re funny, tragic, magical, or mundane.
I hope you’ll join me.