A pity! And I mean it. My whole family in Spain is Catholic and sometimes I worry about their salvation. My mom’s faith was on the candles, masses... that she could pay for. Just weeks before I was to defend my doctoral dissertation, I received from her a ribbon that had been rubbed against a rock on which, tradition said, Mary had stood (this was in Spain) leading the charge against Napoleon’s troops. I’m not kidding! The idea was that I would put it in my pocket and so would not have any difficulty answering questions. It went in the same dumpster that the candle she sent me after hurricane Hugo, to keep further hurricanes away from our home!
It went in the same dumpster that the candle she sent me after hurricane Hugo, to keep further hurricanes away from our home!"Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."
I get you don’t believe as your mom does. But she still sent those because she was worried for you and (I dare say) loves you very much. That you threw them away so flippantly just stuns me. Whether they had merit as being sacramentals is debatable. What is not debatable is that they were indeed a symbol of your mom’s care and as such deserved some regard.