This travel case came to me recently. It belonged to my mum who died in 1996. She had kept wool in it and it had lived, with sewing materials, in a pouf (storage footstool!) in my parent's sitting room. Opening it I found: pictures from my parent's sitting room of children and grand-child; bamboo sticks from when my mother learnt to make silk flowers; a brown wooden ashtray with coin in the base which came from a posting abroad; a pair of pinking shears; a bag of zips taken from old clothes; some darning wool; a green plastic thing; a crochet hook; and the keys to the case with a label in my father's writing.

So many memories. A couple of the photographs were taken in Cornwall where we spent many childhood summer holidays. Ah, Cornish Pasties on the beach. Cream teas with clotted cream. Sunburn. Puzzles and reading when it poured. Other snaps were of my daughter's christening day, my brothers and my mother's parents and siblings.

It speaks of a time when you didn't just throw something away because it had holes. It might be mendable with wool or patches. If it was past it and for the bin, zips, buttons and anything else that might be of use were removed and saved.

Does it bring me joy? (Still following Marie Kondo's advice as I clear out.) Some of the memories do but it is tinged with the sadness of my mother's battles with illnesses and cancer that lasted for some 15 years. Do I need any of the stuff? No. The memories and my mother are an innate part of me - even the bits I tried so desperately to not have! And, if you are some where Mum, I hope you are kicking back and having a good time.

Death, so final and so inevitable. Is Botox really the answer? What is left of a life lived? For how many generations does anything live on? What do we learn? Anything new? The human race is still fighting.

We aren't all world leaders, incredible inventors, entrepreneurs, sporting legends.... the world would not work if that were the case. We do each have potential. All we can do is make the most of every day. Find and fulfil our potential. Love and care for ourselves - deeply, inside, accepting the self. Find or make moments of joy and happiness for ourselves, for others. Laughing every day is meant to be good for the health. Be at peace and love. That feels like a good legacy to pass on.

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