From My Mom's House

My mom, my sister, and I are at the two-year mark of moving my mom from her home of twenty years with my stepdad, to Oak Crest Retirement Community. 

Have you ever had to help your parent clean out their house and decide, from all of the comfortable and cherished items, what's good for her to keep, for you and your sister to keep, and what to sell and donate and toss?

I'm talking multiple generations of collections.

Pink and gold china.  Blue and silver china.  Cooking utensils.  Glass dishes and cake platters and decorations and furniture.  These are all things that you associate with growing up.

Since our world situation happened, I've been finding new uses for the things that I received from my mom, to actually USE.  She gave me several silver plated platters and dishes.  I've put my glass jar candles on them, and it looks so pretty with my crystals.  An antique wooden thread box now houses office supplies.  Crystal sugar bowls contain every day items such as individual lens cleaning packets for our glasses, and other sundry items.  I have a cute little glass bowl on my desk that has memory cards and bobby pins. 

Here's the thing.  If I have it put away for a "special occasion", I'll probably never use it.  That's why it's so important to me to use it; then I see it, and it reminds me of my mom.

My mom is 82 years old.  I had the opportunity last week to drop off groceries to her at Oak Crest, and they have a very strict drop-off procedure.  My  mom told me she'd come down, but when I got there, I thought, there's no way they'll let me see her any closer than across the street.  Well, not only could I get 2 feet away from her to look at her well-worn, beautiful face, but we got a photograph of us together. 

It was really emotional for me to see her.  When I left, I pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store down the street, and I cried for 20 minutes.

I miss my mom.  I know she misses me and my sister.  However, I'm grateful for the strict protocol and procedures that they have at Oak Crest, and I'm grateful for the 5 minutes that I got to spend with her.  And I'm grateful for the things that I have from her house.

Bee in love with the heartwork of your life.