JARFUL OF MEMORIES Some family heirlooms are very old, others newer but still holding the cherished memories of our generation growing up. One thing that I always remember is a large glass jar that sat high on a shelf in a family friend's store. It was an old-fashioned store with a gas pump out front, a selection of groceries, a pop cooler and the best selection of penny candy I had ever seen. It was a spot for many of the seniors to congregate and gossip, or "discuss the happenings" as they called it.

A few decades ago, when I was a child, my grandfather would walk me down to the store and give me a quarter — a lot of money in those days for a child of three or four — to spend on anything I wanted. I would lean up against the counter while my grandfather talked to everyone in the store. The counter was old and scarred with the bumps and scrapes of many years. Behind the counter, up against the wall, I would peer. Some days I made my purchases quickly; other days I would linger in a personal debate that seemed so important.