I inherited a lot of my grandma's jewelry. It took me years to see what I'd really been given.

The author, shown here as a child with her grandmother, said it took her years to appreciate some of the items she inherited from her.

Courtesy of Kimberly Yavorski

Sitting on her living room floor with the old boxes, part of me wanted to keep all of the jewelry, but like everything else in Grandma's house, there was just too much of it.We missed the early signs, but it was clear that she had dementia and couldn't care for herself any longer. It was time to empty her overstuffed house. As we sifted through her things, she didn't object, but her piercing blue eyes watched us — quietly. Too quietly. She had always been the strongest, most dominant personality in the room. Now she was eerily silent as we made decisions about what to do with her prized possessions. It almost felt like we were stealing her things.

The author said going through her grandmother's jewelry collection initially felt like an invasion.

Courtesy of Kimberly Yavorski.