I’m often asked, “But what should I DO with my family heirloom?”
My response is always, “What do you want to do with it?”
At this point people are often taken aback. I think they assume I’m going to tell them to lock it away in storage and never use it again for fear of breaking or damaging it.
In some cases, that may be what might be best for the object. You have to consider the condition its in and what your goals are for it. If it is a book in poor condition, but you are hoping your great-grandchildren will get to see it. Then, yes, probably the best thing to do is stabilize it and store it, taking it out occasionally to check on the condition, but to try to manipulate it as little as possible.
Other objects don’t necessarily need to be treated so delicately. For instance, something I chose that belonged to my maternal grandmother was soup bowls. There were only two of them and they aren’t valuable. They're Anchor Hocking from the 1970s. They were her everyday dishes. So why did I want them? Arguably there is very little historical or monetary value in them.
I chose them because I have fond memories of eating from them with my grandparents. I remember eating creamy tomato soup and having grilled cheese sandwiches sitting at the bar in their kitchen while they sat at the table. I remember my grandmother serving me soup out of these bowls when I was sick.
These bowls sit at the top of my cabinet and when I’m sick my husband brings me soup in them. I love them being at the top of my cabinet. I see them every morning and think of my grandparents looking down on me - watching over me. Yes, every once in a while I get a nervous feeling that they might fall out, that someone might break them while trying to use one, but having them in the cabinet with my everyday dishes, where I can see them every day, and where I often use them when I serve soup means a lot.
It helps me keep my grandparents in my life on a daily basis and if you stop to think about it, when it comes down to it, is that not really a great way to honor their memory.