Objects of Affection: From a crochet hook to a bowling ball, love stories in Kalamazoo

We all have objects that are special to us. They may sit quietly on a shelf, rest in a pocket, or travel with us each day. They remind us where we’ve been and, sometimes, who we are becoming.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, this photo essay turns its focus to the many forms love can take — not only romantic love, but love for family, heritage, passion, faith, resilience, and identity. Students in Professor Sue Ellen Christian’s multimedia journalism course at Western Michigan University accepted the challenge to document people’s stories behind their meaningful objects. Through portraits and personal reflections, these stories reveal how something ordinary — a pen, a ring, a plant, a bowling ball — can become extraordinary and well-loved.

Devin Harris, bowling ball

In Devin Harris’s collection of six customized bowling balls, a blue and white Phase Two ball is his most valuable. It was given to the 18-year-old Kalamazoo resident in 2021 by his mom and dad, who also bowl. Harris jokingly shares how the ball has a lot of game usage on it and needs to be replaced soon. 

Harris began bowling at age 4 and joined his first league at age 6. He says he has been in world tournaments, placing in the top 300 out of 8,000. In his high school bowling career, he went to state competitions and now coaches for that team. 

In his youth, every time his parents told him they had to leave the bowling alley, he says, he cried. 

“It really brings a lot of joy and love to myself. Bowling is my life. First time I bowled, I knew as soon as I rode the ball, that was it for me,” says Harris. 

• Photo and caption by Emma Tarnowsky

Arie Crane, headwrap

Arie Crane’s favorite object is a headwrap she bought herself six years ago. The 26-year-old employee at the Ulta Beauty store in Kalamazoo wears this object daily to cover baldness that she says occurred as a side effect of COVID-19. 

Through experimentation with wigs, jewels, and other hats, Crane found this headwrap to be her safety object. 

“It’s a different type of self-expression that I had never really considered before. Because at least in the beginning, I felt like part of my identity was being taken away from me because I didn’t have hair. But now I’m like, ‘No, there’s ways I can play around and make this kind of cool’.” 

This $2 fabric wrap brings her confidence. 

• Photo and caption by Emma Tarnowsky

Matt Davis, police vest

“Every morning when I put it on, everything is there, I got nothing to worry about, and I can feel safe.” 

• Photo and caption by Jake Wieschhorster

Mark Harrington, photos of his daughter 

Mark Harrington, a 28-year-old Hardware Supervisor at Lowe’s in Battle Creek, holds a photo of his daughter stored in his wallet.

“This is a photo of my kid,” he says. “It’s motivation for me to keep going.”

• Photo and caption by Jason Kern

Bryan Worthington, crochet hook

Byan Worthington, 41, works as the media support specialist of the Kalamazoo College library.

Worthington said his crochet hook is important because it reminds him of his grandma, who taught him to crochet five years ago, and because crocheting helps him pass the time.

“I think it’s a connection certainly, and a part of my identity is someone creating crafts,” says Worthington.

His crochet hook is also important to him, he says, because it breaks gender-based expectations.

• Photo and caption by Mika Stoffers

Jacob Walker, his dad’s tie-dye art

Jacob Walker, 19, is a freshman studying sales and business marketing at Western Michigan University. 

His father began tie-dyeing during the COVID-19 pandemic because he was working fewer hours. What started as a hobby to cope with job-related stress eventually turned into a small business. Walker’s father now sells clothing and other art pieces priced between $80 and $100.

“Seeing him be happy when he was stressed over his job helped our family more than it helped him, to be honest,” says Walker.

• Photo and caption by Jake Wieschhorster

Zoie Banger, stress ball chick 

Zoie Banger is a 21-year-old computer science major at Kalamazoo College.

One object that’s important to Banger is a chick-shaped stress ball named Harold.

Banger found Harold in a toy mystery box she got at Meijer about two years ago. Harold helps Banger soothe her anxiety while also being a cute toy that is less awkward to use in class.

“I squeeze it when I’m nervous or anxious, or if I’m in class and I’m feeling a lot of pressure, I can just take it out on this little guy,” says Banger. “Because my anxiety is so prevalent, he becomes prevalent.”

• Photo and caption by Mika Stoffers

Melissa Yost, craft of an indigenous directional symbol

Melissa Yost is a 56-year-old from Portage working at Kalamazoo College as an administration specialist in the information services department.

An object that’s important to Yost is a craft depicting a Native American symbol for the four directions that she received while she worked at Michigan State University. She received it from Andrew Fogiel, a former co-worker at MSU.

Yost said that having this craft as her favorite object shows that objects that may not look like much can have big emotional meanings to her.

“He passed away. Actually, it’s coming up on about two years now,” says Yost. “I care about people. The memories of people are very important to me.”

• Photo and caption by Mika Stoffers

Hipólito Aguirre, 26, Blue BIC pen

Hipólito Aguirre is a 26-year-old factory worker at Denso Manufacturing who lives in Portage. An American raised in Mexico, Aguirre connects his identity to both cultures through art.

His favorite object is a blue BIC pen he bought at Dollar Tree.

He began using the pen while apprenticing at Oh Honey Tattoo studio in Mexico City, where it became his primary tool. The pen’s fine tip allows him to create detailed lines and deep shading similar to blackwork tattoo techniques rooted in Chicano art.

“It’s not that I chose the blue pen — I feel like it’s an inheritance.”

Compact, accessible, and replaceable, the pen allows him to transfer ideas from his mind onto paper at any moment. “The blue helps me express calmness and melancholy. It’s not just a color; it carries what I’m trying to say,” Aguirre says.

• Photo and caption by Jessica M. Miranda-Acosta

Elizabeth Gardner, Beanie Baby

Elizabeth Gardner, a 31-year-old flooring saleswoman, holds her childhood Beanie Baby, Daisy. 

“I’ve had her since I was 9,” she says. “It’s a symbolic sense of freedom that I remember having when I was a kid.” 

Gardner says she would take Daisy everywhere she would go.

“When I hold her, I remember what it feels like to be running barefoot on tan bark at the playground and be unencumbered by life’s challenges.”

• Photo and caption by Jason Kern

José Domingo Ledesma, video camera

José Domingo Ledesma is a 76-year-old retiree who lives in Portage. His favorite object is a video camera, which he has used for decades to document family memories.

Ledesma first picked up a camera around 1964, beginning with photography before transitioning to video. Over the years, he has recorded quinceañeras, births, family gatherings, and moments with loved ones, preserving memories of relatives and friends who are no longer alive.

“For me, recording is a way to live those moments again. Have videos of people who are no longer here, and seeing them again brings me joy,” Ledesma says.

Through changing technologies, from VHS to digital, Ledesma has carefully preserved his archives. For him, his camera is not just a device, but a bridge between past and present.

“If you have the chance to record beautiful memories, do it, because you can relive the moment,” he says. 

• Photo and caption by Jessica M. Miranda-Acosta

Millie Boutwell, trumpet 

Millie Boutwell, 29, has been an electrician for five years and is currently taking Spanish classes at Western Michigan University.

Boutwell’s old, dented trumpet is special to her because of the family history behind it, as it was passed down to her in sixth grade by her father. He also played the trumpet, and she says that’s what makes the instrument a perfect fit for her.

Boutwell loves participating in WMU’s concert band because she says musicians are like a big family, especially the trumpet section, and she’s made lifetime friends.

“Music is a way of processing everything in your life,” Boutwell says.

• Photo and caption by Lily Alderman.

Hailey Auch, earbuds

Hailey Auch, 22, lives in Scotts with her aunt and works as a stocker at Blaine’s Farm and Fleet. She plans to attend Lake Michigan College in the fall.

Auch owns a pair of purple earbuds she got from Amazon that she uses to listen to her favorite instrumental music in order to tune out extra noise. It also keeps her from being too overstimulated by her ADHD and the comments that people make about her physical differences.

• Photo and caption by Lily Alderman

Rochelle Banks, heart-shaped ring

Rochelle Banks is an employee at Pandora Jewelry in Portage. Her special object is a heart ring that she received from her dad in 2015. She says it cost $70 from Walmart.

“This was my first piece of jewelry I received in my collection,” says Banks. “I feel naked without it on.”

• Photo and caption by Anthony Aquino 

Steven Strandberg, jade plant

Steven Strandberg is a 19-year-old sophomore studying flight science at Western Michigan University. His favorite object is a jade plant that sits in his dorm room. It is the first plant he has ever owned and he got it during the fall semester of his freshman year at a library giveaway event. 

He liked the look and feel of the plant, so he chose the jade plant over an ivy plant. “I’ve kept it alive since freshman year while living in the dorms,” he says. “As I grow as a student, the plant grows as well.”

• Photo and caption by Anthony Aquino 

Dalia Lopez-De Paz, Virgin of Guadalupe necklace

Dalia Lopez-De Paz, 19, is a Western Michigan University freshman from Detroit.

Lopez-De Paz’s object of significance is her “La Virgencita de Guadalupe” necklace that has a pendant of the patron saint of the Americas and Mexico. 

“This necklace was given to me by my sister on my 17th birthday. She gifted it to me because she knew how much I wanted one,” Lopez-De Paz says. “I’ve never been very religious; actually, if anything, I’m agnostic. However, the Virgencita is something I believe in, not in a religious way, but moreso as a comfort thing. It brings me so much joy as well that my sister got it for me because she’s always been my No.1 fan.”

• Photo and caption by Andrea Marie Dees

Kyra’Clair Fuqua, Hello Kitty wall decoration

Kyra’Clair Fuqua, 18, is a freshman at Western Michigan University from Detroit, majoring in digital media and journalism. 

Fuqua’s favorite object is her Hello Kitty wall decoration that costs $75. It was given to her by her favorite aunt when the two of them went shopping for college supplies.

“I honestly don’t feel special because of my upbringing,” says Fuqua. “I’m not used to kindness and love like what my aunt showed me that day. So whenever I look at it, I not only find it cute, but it reminds me of that beautiful moment.”

• Photo and caption by Andrea Dees

Rylee Phillips, computer

Rylee Phillips, 22, is a senior at Western Michigan University from Grand Blanc, majoring in Computer Information Systems.

Phillips’s object is her computer, which she built herself. Costing around $1,100, it represents her growth in her field of study. Phillips gained confidence in building and repairing computers. She has since successfully upgraded her PC again and now uses her skills to repair others’ computers.

“I think my love of my computer makes me a complete nerd, and I’m okay with that! It’s a pride point for me; I can’t help it,” Phillips says. “Also, I think the number of problems I’ve caused and solved with it shows that I’m not afraid to make mistakes and that I’ve learned from them!”

• Photo and caption by Andrea Dees

Xzavier Torres, wedding ring

Xzavier Torres, 29, works as a college minister with Campus Outreach West Michigan. He met his wife four years ago when they were both students at Western Michigan University. As Torres grew closer to his wife, he says he also grew closer to God.

“The moment I put this ring on, I was vowing to God, of course, but most importantly, my wife.”

• Photo and caption by Jake Wieschhorster

Natalia Voss, “Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game”

Natalia Voss, an employee at Voss Media Board Game café in Galesburg, holds the box for “Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game.”

“This was the first long board game I ever played with my dad,” she says of the game, which takes hours to play. “This was the only time we really had together as a family for at least five hours.”

“Admittedly, I used to hate it,” she says. “But the more I played, the more I realized I had my dad’s attention away from work, so I grew to love it more and more as time went on.” 

• Photo and caption by Jason Kern

Padric Bolem, Ink

Adopted from Guatemala at six months old and raised by non-Guatemalan parents, Padric Bolem describes the experience of reclaiming his roots as “kind of interesting to teach myself and through school and all that kind of stuff where I came from.” 

Due to his research into his personal history, Bolem chose for his elbow tattoo the Ouroboros, a circular symbol depicting a snake swallowing its tail as an emblem of wholeness. “Finding an Ouroboros, and also tying it into my own culture — so I’m part Mayan as well — I kind of wanted to fuse that,” he says. 

To Bolem, the symbol serves as a profound metaphor for the journey to his own identity.

“I’m a big believer of something that ends, starts something new,” he says. “So that’s really big, and I really like that.” 

• Photo and caption by Joy Wolfe