I recently rescued these items while cleaning up my parents' home. My folks were devout Catholics, and always kept a religious symbol or two in each of our living areas. I do not know the origin of any of them and no longer appreciate their spiritual significance, but I felt compelled to keep them for sentimental reasons. From left to right:

• The Infant of Prague - this plaster figure always stood on my Mom's dresser. It is looking a bit battered these days, thanks to my Mom's curious cat, who I'm sure knocked it over more than once over the past few years.


• The Crucifix - this wooden cross hung in the hallway of the house in which I grew up, and later in the bedroom of the home to which my parents retired. It is in near perfect condition, likely because it was out of reach of just about anyone or anything that could do damage to it.


• The Sacred Heart Jesus - this plastic statue always graced one of our vehicles. A magnet in the base kept it mounted to the old metal dashboards; once they switched to vinyl, the statue was relegated to the ash tray. It accompanied me to school in the car my father loaned me, and became affectionately known by my college friends as the Sacred Heart Amputee due to its missing right hand. I think I'll be putting it back in my car, for old times' sake.