Chronicling a life in jars full of mementos

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/07/2015 (3717 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the last three months, Annie Janzen’s My Life Story in Jars on 9 Shelves was on exhibit at the Mennonite Heritage Gallery on the campus of Canadian Mennonite University.

Annie’s love of jars, canning and cooking prompted her to start a collection of life’s mementos in jars.

She collects memories from trips, notes and art from friends, and grains and seeds reminiscent of her plentiful gardens.

Annie invites friends and family to participate in her art in jars projects by asking them to contribute special jars filled with things that are meaningful to them and their relationship with Annie. Photos and artwork of friends decorate and fill jars, one a painting by her niece who knows Annie’s attention to fine details in nature.

From her trips around the world, Annie has  filled jars with memories and souvenirs. One of those jars holds a photograph of Mother Teresa. Annie was privileged to visit one of Mother Teresa’s Homes for the Destitute and Dying in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). She later met Mother Teresa in Winnipeg when the famous nun visited the city in 1982.

In Annie’s jar of memories about her trip to India is also a stick from the neem tree, which she acquired in the ancient village of Angedepet, Andra Pradesh. Sticks from the neem tree were used for brushing teeth and resulted in healthy and shiny white teeth.

Another jar holds a postcard of an astronomical clock that Annie visited while in Prague. The clock holds an important meaning for Annie because after her trip, in a dream while holding the postcard of the clock, she saw her life pass before her eyes. In her dream a door beckoned her at the top of a flight of stairs. Music and light streamed through the cracks of the door. Annie was not allowed to pass through that door just yet, but the dream gave her assurance of where her life will continue.

Annie’s exhibit closed on June 20. She currently resides at Bethel Place, where she participates in the Red Shoe Literary Society, cooks healthy food from her garden produce, and entertains guests.

She also provides respite care and is an active member of the Grain of Wheat church.

Helen Lepp Friesen is a community correspondent for Fort Garry. You can contact her at helenfriesen@hotmail.com