April 3, 2011
Dear Emily,
Your grandmother has a confession to make…I am a sentimental pack rat. That means that I keep things that no longer have any real use or real value. I keep these things because they remind me of another time and the people who used them. For example, many of the toys that your daddy played with when he was a little boy and some of the clothes he wore are packed away in a closet at my house. For years I have kept similar things packed away at your house because your house is the same house where I lived when I was a little girl. Most of the items packed away there are things that belonged to my parents. These things have little or no “monetary” value and are no longer useful, but I have continued to hold on to these things because they remind me of my parents and my childhood. But this week, I let it all go. I boxed up clothes, blankets, and household items that my parents had used and took them to Goodwill. Why? Because those things were stored in my old bedroom in bureau drawers that Simon now needs. Why does Simon need my old bedroom and the bureau? Because the room that Simon has been using is being turned into a nursery. Why is Simon’s room being turned into a nursery? To make room for you, Emily Michelle! You will soon need a room of your own.
So this week I have sorted through all those treasures again and have overcome the sentimental temptation to find another place to store my mother’s sweaters, my father’s pajamas, and the ugly squirrel ashtray that sat on a table in the front room throughout all of my childhood. I cried a little bit over the memories, but every time I hesitated to put something in the Goodwill box, I would think to myself…”making room for Emily…making room for Emily. Letting go of the old to make room for the new.” And you, little girl, are the new… a new life and a new generation. God’s promise of new joys and new memories.
