There have been many museum exhibits that show both the material and social contributions of immigrants to the culture of their adopted country. However, these exhibits seldom reveal the longing for the old country that stays with them throughout their lives. During their youth the immigrants are busy with friends and family- with trying to make a living in a new country- but in their old age, when the excitement of their youth has passed them by, then they begin to think about their native country - what it looked like, the relatives who were a part of their past, and the culture of the country they sailed away from. I find that the things they leave behind are a clue to this longing, a physical tie to their youth. My great-grandparents left us a leather box of letters from Sweden, rolled and tied with a satin ribbon. I wish I could read them! We also have inherited postcards from Denmark, musical instruments, Danish books of poetry, a clock, a hand-carved cigarette rolling machine, their family Bibles, and numerous items that reminded the old folks of their first home. It feels good to touch those things, like I am touching both my own past and their past too.