What are heirlooms, and why are they so important? By definition, an heirloom is something of special value that is passed down from one generation to another. Oftentimes the object has some inherent monetary value that makes it “valuable,” and this value increases with sentimentality as the years go by.
Most people don’t think much about heirlooms. However, I do. Alas, I discovered a horrible truth: my family doesn’t really do heirlooms or any form of legacy preservation. We have no recipes that have been passed down, no jewelry or even vintage lamps. All my family has to pass down is dust and a love for the Buffalo Bills.
As a kid, this slightly peeved me because I thought, “Ooh, shiny valuable object, gimme” or something along those goblin-esque lines. But, as I grew up I began to realize I could appreciate the history of an heirloom.
Heirlooms are more than just a shiny rock or a silver band, they act as a silent witness to our history. They are keepers of culture and heritage. A gift from our ancestors. They are beauty, history and love in its purest, finest and most human form.
But let’s be realistic, the premise of heirlooms is as ridiculous as it is extraordinary. There are so many families that can’t afford genuine silver or gold to be passed down for numerous generations. They have more pressing matters, like keeping a roof over their heads and getting food on the table, and I can empathize with that.
During my youth, my family was concerned with the exact same things. But now that I’m grown, I can see that heirlooms don’t just have to be amulets or diamonds. They can be recipes, photos or really anything that’s worth preserving.
As society grows more advanced and the usage of cellular devices becomes more widespread, heirlooms become easier to inherit. Most families have photo books, but now your phone comes with storage to store your photos forever. You never have to worry about damaging the photo with any fingerprints or any other gunk. The same can be said with recipes! You can put them into a hard drive or the cloud and boom, you have it forever.
Now, will these digital enhancements ever replace the more historical feeling of a piece of paper titled, “Grandma’s Gumbo”? No, not for a while at least. But the point I’m trying to make is that it’s less so about the object, and more about the love and intention that went into preserving and sharing any kind of heirloom.
In my personal life, I now try to buy things worth preserving while I can. I photograph everything (poorly), I’ve started cooking and attempting to make recipes worth preserving and sharing (no luck yet). But I’m determined to have some part of me to pass down to the future McEntee’s that run around. Or perhaps my siblings won’t have kids and it’ll all be for naught, oh well…
Garrett McEntee is a 19-year-old English sophomore from Benton.
