Sometimes "things" mean something
No "thing" is as important as a person or a life. I know that in my heart and yet sometimes it is painful when a "thing" is broken or lost.
I have moved and packed our stuff numerous times and am , if I have to say so for myself, a good packer. In all the moves in the last 20 years or so, I have only broken 2 or 3 things. Several years ago it was a teapot from my maternal grandmother. I was sick about it since it was the only thing I had of hers. Many moves I haven't broken anything. I meticulously wrap stuff in lots of paper, bubble wrap, peanuts and any other stuff I can find for cushioning. Each move while I'm unwrapping I breathe a sigh of relief when everything comes out fine.
Last night I was unpacking stuff from our most recent move. In one box every single mug and cup was broken. Most had the handles broken off and others were crushed. In another box several beautiful and delicate pieces of crystal from Don's mother bit the dust. The only ones of this with any monetary value were the crystal but still it was awful. One of the mugs was given to me by one of my daughters with a very sweet and tender message on it. I cherished it because it reminded me of her. Other mugs were special because they recalled vacations or other special memories. The crystal was very special to Don since it was his mother's.
I studied the boxes carefully. They hadn't broken down or been destroyed in any way. Each piece had been dutifully wrapped and carefully stored for the move. What happened? I looked at the broken pieces and was so sad. They are just things but they had meaning to us. It was as if each thing was a photo--a snapshot in time of a special memory.
The loss of those "things" hurts. I could glue them back together but, like Humpty Dumpty, they would never be the same.
These broken "things" make me think of other broken things in life. When you move, ties are broken with the location you are leaving and they will never be the same again. The ties can be rebuilt in a new way but are never exactly the same. It's like the saying, "You can never go back." I keep asking myself what are all the ties broken with this most recent move? What about previous moves? Were the ties broken irreparable? Were they mended in a new, and hopefully, better way? I hope so.
I have moved and packed our stuff numerous times and am , if I have to say so for myself, a good packer. In all the moves in the last 20 years or so, I have only broken 2 or 3 things. Several years ago it was a teapot from my maternal grandmother. I was sick about it since it was the only thing I had of hers. Many moves I haven't broken anything. I meticulously wrap stuff in lots of paper, bubble wrap, peanuts and any other stuff I can find for cushioning. Each move while I'm unwrapping I breathe a sigh of relief when everything comes out fine.
Last night I was unpacking stuff from our most recent move. In one box every single mug and cup was broken. Most had the handles broken off and others were crushed. In another box several beautiful and delicate pieces of crystal from Don's mother bit the dust. The only ones of this with any monetary value were the crystal but still it was awful. One of the mugs was given to me by one of my daughters with a very sweet and tender message on it. I cherished it because it reminded me of her. Other mugs were special because they recalled vacations or other special memories. The crystal was very special to Don since it was his mother's.
I studied the boxes carefully. They hadn't broken down or been destroyed in any way. Each piece had been dutifully wrapped and carefully stored for the move. What happened? I looked at the broken pieces and was so sad. They are just things but they had meaning to us. It was as if each thing was a photo--a snapshot in time of a special memory.
The loss of those "things" hurts. I could glue them back together but, like Humpty Dumpty, they would never be the same.
These broken "things" make me think of other broken things in life. When you move, ties are broken with the location you are leaving and they will never be the same again. The ties can be rebuilt in a new way but are never exactly the same. It's like the saying, "You can never go back." I keep asking myself what are all the ties broken with this most recent move? What about previous moves? Were the ties broken irreparable? Were they mended in a new, and hopefully, better way? I hope so.
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