The contents of the antique rosewood box is the true archive on the glass shelves. I rarely open it, but did so today. It contains 97 items ranging from the very tiny (some of my children's milk teeth) to certificates and registration documents, dried wedding flowers, my baby shoes, an empty Russian rifle cartridge and sundry precious personal letters, cards and children's first drawings. They are all packed in like archaeological strata. Excavating each layer brought memories and thoughts flooding back, but the overall thought was the importance of all the numbers and codes which describe each individual. Passport number, driving licence, birth certificates, death certificates, National Insurance number, National Health Number, bank codes and numbers, it goes on and on. Lose those, and who are you?
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