I carry an excess of trifles in my backpack, there is only one that carries value. Among the ripped folders, bent notebooks, and inkless pens there is a single item that carries more significance than would be expected, my key chain. The silver lining of the wishbone represents more of my family than one could imagine. That wishbone is what I carry with me each and every day.


I clearly remember the day I received this key chain from my uncle. It was Christmas morning of 2008. He knew that I had always carried my house key by itself and wanted to get me something to go along with it. While I opened up the small, beautifully wrapped gold box, all I could do is wonder what would be inside. The second I opened it I knew that it would be a key chain that I would carry for the duration of my life. Three months before this day my uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We only had six months left with him at the most. This Christmas would be our last one together, so the keychain means more to me than just a gift. That silver wishbone was the last piece of my uncle to enter my life, and it is the one I carry with me everywhere I go.

While my uncle was in the hospital for the first time he received a wishbone from a good friend of his as a wish to get better. He carried this wishbone in all his travels for treatment. Everywhere he went it was always one of his prized possessions. Because of this the symbol of the wishbone has become symbol of my family. All the members of my family carry one whether it is a key chain, necklace, or just a small one in their bag. It is most significant to my mother, who tells the wishbone story to all our friends as she gives them their own wishbone as a gift. In my life it just reminds me that he will always be there with me through the wishbone and that I can wish for anything through it. Although it is something that I carry, it is something that my family and many friends carry as well.
Yes, I carry the keychain literally but behind the keychain there is a lot more value than imagined. The keychain itself carries a sense of family, hope, and memories. Although my uncle is now gone, his wishes and spirit will always be with my family. Whereas the typical keychain may dangle with tacky additions and worthless charms, my keychain is a symbol within my family, one that cannot and never will be forgotten.