The Importance of Family

    About two weeks ago, we sold my father in law's house.  He is happily living in a wonderful full time care facility (I must say, I never thought that would be a possibility- I can't believe how wonderful the staff are. After all the horror stories, who knew that my sister in law could find a place like this...  It just goes to show we all have different talents.  What the staff does on a daily basis, with genuine pleasure, I think would drive me crazy if the resident were not my family. Watching the staff gently herd the residents to dinner and activities is a beautiful ballet.)
    We have had to make lots of decisions.  What things are important to each person?  What is important to our forebears? What will have meaning to our children?  After all, we have owned a house (one or another) for 27 years.  Our house is completely furnished and our children are not old enough to need anything.  What to do?
     It was such a funny situation.  Here we were, four adults who had known one another for twenty three years, walking on eggshells.  All of us had heard the stories of families who never spoke to one another again after disposing of the parent's household goods, even if the parents owned very little. We all were working so hard to please one another and just get along.  It was funny how hard it was to think in a house with four adults thinking so hard.
   What was so interesting was each of us had memories attached to different objects.  We wanted the milk glass candy dishes that our boys had pilfered candy from them each visit we made.  My husband wanted an oak chest of drawers that he refinished with his mom.  His sister longed for the blanket chest that had been in the family for years.
     The best thing was how patient everyone was with one another. Even though we were slowly driving one another crazy, with the four of us continued to work together and finish the job.  It is times like these that create the family, not just the fabulous Italian dinner that we shared with my father in law and his brother.  Norman Rockwell times are great, but those other times forge the family.

(A little aside......As I said earlier, our house was fully furnished so we really had to be careful about what we brought home.  Deep in my heart of hearts, I didn't want anything.  The irony of the situation is, by bringing home that dresser (and a hutch for another room), my son's room is much more functional.  Guess fully furnished is actually a floating target that changes as our lives change.)