Book excerpt: This work invites us to enter the world of mementos, as to their significance and hidden meaning. By way of example, the author describes ten mementos from his own desk. His "first reflections" describe the object and the immediate story behind them. In his "second reflections," the author ventures into the philosophic and metaphysical domains to consider each memento's meaning. The ordinary world of mementos may not give us much pause during the course of the day. Yet they are in front of us and telling us something important about ourselves and our lives You are invited to take a journey into this world of mimentos, so you may begin to explore the meaning of yours, and discover what is being said to you.