It's a new year - time to turn over a new leaf and time to make resolutions. NO, not this year. I'm taking the first few weeks in January to savor my treasures. Why add more pressure after the holidays with resolutions when this can be a time to restore peace and harmony by spending quiet time with markers of our lives?

Most of the things I cherish have very little tangible value, but these incidentals set me to remembering family, friends, and the dogs that have graced my years. Treasures usually have stories. I reminisce as I pore over this and that.

We all have treasures around us. My treasure gathering began as a child with the first times I brought back a shell or a stone from a grand vacation. These mementoes came to rest on a shelf above my bed. The collection of keepsakes grew from there. Now my inventory of things picked up along life's path, inherited, and received as gifts is abundant. So rather than let them be forgotten, I choose to celebrate the New Year by letting them remind me of just how good life is.

Among my treasures are old board games, abandoned bird nests, weathered bird feeders, honey pots, books about dogs, and artwork I have painted. I take added pleasure in telling my granddaughter or guests stories that these treasures bring to mind. These things bespeak my history, commemorate an important event, or just explain one of my interests. I love taking out something that was my mother's; in so doing I am honoring her life and memory.

Treasures are not just things. I also treasure people and that's why I am spending the beginning of this year thinking of the past, present, and future. I ponder my list of friends, my coworkers, my family, and all the support folks who help my life hum. My thoughts trail to people in bygone years, former neighbors, teachers, and childhood chums. January is a perfect time to begin your treasure list―a cozy time to draw memories close. Whether it be time with things, people, or pets, take moments to relish the prize. The value is in the joy they bring to you. Find pleasure no one can take away. Happy New Year, Treasure Hunters!