The Memory String

Each button on Laura's memory string represents a piece of her family's history. The buttons Laura cherishes the most are the ones that belonged to her mother—a button from her prom dress, the pretty white one off her wedding dress, and, most precious of all, a single button from the nightgown she was wearing the day she died. When the string breaks, Laura's new stepmother is there to console her and search for a missing button, just as Mom would have done.
But it's not the same—Jane isn't Mom. Laura can't hold that against Jane forever, though. And isn't a memory string for recording new memories, too ?