Mom would mutter "That man!" under her breath whenever she pushed her walker past a closed bedroom door in our family home of over 40 years. The man in question was Dad; the closed door was to the bedroom my older brother and I shared years before. Steve and I grew up in a light blue bedroom -- very soothing for two young boys!
Years later Dad was sprucing up the house and decided to repaint the room. The light peach color he selected turned out to be bright orange! Dad, being color blind, didn't realize how jarring the color was!
Mom's solution: keep the door closed!
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| How do you color your memories? (Photo: Childhood Bedroom Emptied - Larry Gardepie) |
Memories of our family home spilled out on the front yard after Mom passed away and later when Dad was gone. Siblings and friends helped to arrange and staff the yard sales. Memories Emerged as items were sold or given away and carried down the street... never to be seen again. The last item to go: our dining room table where so many meals, celebrations, conversations, and games occurred.
The hardest moment, though, was leaving the empty house for the last time and handing over my house key to my older brother -- the key that provided access since I was 10 years old.
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| Are your memories ever sold or given away? (Photo: Childhood Home Yard Sale - Larry Gardepie) |
I recently heard the saying: "Memories... they don’t belong to the house; they belong to us." How true! Years later I relish family memories -- no longer rooted in a place... but in my heart.
Is it the same with you? Objects may remind us, but memories can be treasured and shared. They also may prompt pain and suffering. We may close the door to some memories; others may be carried away and never seen again.
Let us be kind to ourselves and with others as Memories Arise... after all, Memories Belong to us.
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| Where do your memories belong? (Photo: Childhood Home No More - Larry Gardepie) |
The rest of the story? A year after the house was sold, I was visiting Millie, our former neighbor from across the street. She introduced me to the young couple who bought our home. Their 3-year-old son picked my childhood bedroom: he always wanted to live in a pumpkin! "That man" created new memories for a young boy!
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| Larry Gardepie (click on link for website) |
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