Opening a box of memories

Just when you think you’ve gone through everything after a loved one dies, you find hidden treasures.

Mom often talked about getting into the storage closet attached to the condo, but the door could prove tough to open with changes in the weather. The past few times I attempted when Mom was still alive, I couldn’t budge the darn thing. As Mom’s health declined, the storage closet was mainly forgotten. But as I mentioned in my last couple of posts, it became imperative that I get in there this time around, because that’s where the property’s circuit breaker is located.

This time, it popped open without any problems. After wading through some cleaning supplies, I was pleasantly surprised to find a large box filled with items from my childhood. I thought that most of it had long been donated. There was my View-Master, my Casio mini-keyboard musical instrument, and a bunch of school-related items.

I also found some Christmas decorations that have sentimental value, so I set aside those as keepers.

There was another box which had items belonging to my mother. There were many decorative items that I set aside for donation, and then I came across a container of hankies. I quickly flipped through them to see if there were any special ones I wanted to keep.

That’s when I found the hanky pictured above. I’m not sure if my grandmother or my mother stitched this, but it is of the beloved family dog Spoolie. I love the detail of the wagging tongue. So this was a keeper, along with a red one that had “Mother” stitched on it in gold.

In total, with items I had set aside earlier, I was able to donate six boxes. Through Care.com, I connected with a lovely local woman who was happy to come get all of it in her pickup truck. She volunteers with a church that in turn works with local charities, including one which supports domestic violence victims and one that supports the local Native American community. Mom’s treasures will brighten someone else’s home, and my toys will help make a child’s holiday a bit more delightful.

The Spoolie handkerchief will become part of Mom’s scrapbook. Glad I finally got that storage door open!