I was 14 years old maybe?  Or close enough. And somehow three matching pins came into my possession. I’m assuming they were a gift, but I can’t say for sure. (Memory like a sieve, don’t ya know.) 

I never wore them. They stayed in a drawer, in a trinket box. Then the day came to clean out the clutter and some clutter left. But the pins stayed. Every once in a while they’d come to hand and I’d put them back.

Almost 40 years later they became the inspiration for one of the pieces in what I call my ‘Brooch Series’ of glassworks – “Heading for Home.”

It’s good to clean out every once in a while. And some things are worth holding on to. At least, that’s what I’ve learned.