Some Things We Keep
We grew up in the fifties, with practical parents – a Mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it , and then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it….A Father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. The marriages were good, dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat, and Mom in a housedress, lawn mower in one hand, dish towel in the other. It was a time for fixing things – a curtain rod, a kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem of a dress. Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing. I just once wanted to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant there’d always be more. My Mom died. It was a clear summer’s night, and in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn’t any ‘more’. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away….never to return. So….while we have it…..love it, care for it……. fix it when it’s broken… and heal it when it’s sick. It’s true for marriage….old cars……children with bad report cards….dogs with bad hips…..brothers and sisters…….aging parents and grandparents. We keep and care for them because they are worth it…..because we are worthy of it. Some things we keep…. Like a best friend that moved away – or – a classmate we grew up with…..there are some things that make life important, like people who are special….and so, we keep them close! Courtesy of Zan Thompson Chamley… WHS Class of “55” |