Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Stuff and Nonsense

You have so much stuff!

That’s what I keep hearing from the 20-something guys that have helped me move, including my son. I look around at the two rooms that I live in and wonder why they think that. I have gone from a house of eight rooms to an efficiency apartment of two rooms. I have downsized and downsized and downsized until there’s not much left. Honestly. In fact, it took less than 45 minutes to unload all my stuff from the truck to my apartment.

Why does it seem like a lot then?

I think what they see are all the memories and the importance of the stuff that I have. When you downsize as much as I have in the last three years, you don’t carry much junk with you. If you have it, there must be a reason.

And the stuff I have is here for a reason.

My books, for example, we have talked about before. The Hardy Boy volumes published in the 1940s, a Dickens from 1935, Dostoyevsky, the 1878 Bible. Not so many actual, literal books, but so full of history and knowledge. Real books. Not comic books or love stories or fluff.

Pictures are another thing you would notice in my little house. You can watch my sons grow up if you take a minute to look. Tow-headed, smiling, confident and strong you can see their characters forming.

My collection of “others” who call me Mom. Graduation pictures, laughter caught while driving along, church chicks styling in New York. And so very much more.
Somewhere among them is a quote from some song I heard along the way, “photographs record the laughs between the tears.”

I like pictures. A lot.

Knick-Knacks take their share of space, too. The angels from Vanessa and snowmen from Ulanda and teddy bears from Amelia. They are special to me. I won’t bore you with their stories unless you ask, but I would share if I thought you wanted to know.

And of course the angels from Lopez. Glass, gold, ceramic, candlesticks, bookends, large and small. He thought I collected angels and so he bought them for me for every occasion.

Can you hear us laughing when I finally asked, “why do you always buy me angels?”

“Judy said you collect them.”

“I guess I do now.”

I’ll never have another boss quite like Lopez. I would say I miss him, but I’m so surrounded by his memory that I don’t miss him at all, really.

I guess these guys are right. I do have a lot of stuff. I’m a very blessed, rich woman. I hope if those boys ever lose everything they find themselves surrounded by wealth like I am.

3 comments:

  1. I've watched my daughter downsize over and over to be able to move. It's hard to do. Memories are precious things.

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  2. Hi Mommy. :) I hope I'm somewhere in there with your "family." New pictures of your adopted angelbabies soon to come with Christmas cards. I miss you, and love you so much. thanks for sharing!! :)

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  3. I'd love to hear those stories. You know, those stories you said you'd share if you were asked to. :-)

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