A KEEPER
I grew up in the fifties/sixties with practical parents --
a mother, God love her, who washed
aluminum foil after she cooked in it,
then reused it.
She was the original recycle queen,
before they had a name for it...
A father who was happier getting
old shoes fixed than buying new ones.
Their marriage was good, their dreams focused.
Their best friends lived barely a wave away.
I can see them now,
Dad in trousers, T- shirt and a hat
and Mom in a house dress,
lawn mower in one hand,
dish towel in the other.
It was the time for fixing things --
a curtain rod, the kitchen
radio, screen door, the oven door,
the hem in a dress.
Things we keep.
It was a way of life,
And sometimes it made me crazy.
All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing,
I wanted just once to be wasteful.
Waste meant affluence.
Throwing things away meant you
knew there'd always be more.
But then my mother died, and on
that clear summer's night,
in the warmth of the hospital room,
I was struck with the pain of learning
that sometimes there isn't any 'more.'
Sometimes, what we care about most gets
all used up and goes away...never to return.
So...while we have it...it's best
we love it.....and care for it.....and
fix it when it's broken.....
and heal it when it's sick.
This is true.....for marriage
.....and old cars.....and children with bad
report cards.....and dogs with bad hips.....
and aging parents.....and grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it,
because we are worth it.
Some things we keep.
Like a best friend that moved away --
or -- a classmate we grew up with.
There are just some things that make life important,
like people we know who are special.....
and so, we keep them close!
I received this from someone who thinks
I am a 'keeper' so I've sent it to the
people I think of in the same way.
Now it's your turn to send this to those
people who are "keepers" in your life.
Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we are here, we might as well dance!!!