All the ooo’s and ahh’s this last week as couples came to our church to have their children Baptized. There were 6 babies among the five families at this one service. Oh yes, they were all so sweet–especially the cute little fair skinned blonde twins. The overhead screens showed them wiggly and reacting to the Baptismal water as it was gently washed over their heads. Good times and bad wash over us with the passing of time!
Well there is something else around here that is also pink and cuddly. It is my well used and worn chenille house robe. The fluff has disappeared after countless washings,
the 6 buttons down the front no longer match, and well my arm went through the sleeve last week. Not the sleeve that is designed to hold the arm, but the hole that suddenly was created by worn, weak and newly torn fabric.
The housecoat holds great memories for me. I held my babies in my arms in that coat many cold nights. It traveled with me around Europe and kept me warm while next to the Irish Sea when the hotel we stayed in was freezing cold. I slept with part of the housecoat over my head (that was well over 20 years ago and it was already that old then) as the winds blew through the old windows there. The housecoat is on its last lap and I haven’t found anything like it.
It has been an old friend that consoled me through times of being sick. I just have not found a soft, chenille, button down the front old fashioned robe to replace it. I have been mourning its torn barren spots and was about to toss it or make a pillow out of it as a memory, when I decided it needed to be resuscitated at least one more time! It now has pink and white matching patches ironed and stitched on both arms, a few inside iron on to safeguard a few worn spots. We are good to go for another season until I can part with it. I have not figured out how old it is but let’s say it has had a full life!
It’s okay. Old is not bad! It gives us food for thought about our own behaviors.
Do you have trouble parting with things? Old photos or nostalgic things from a family member? Are you sentimental about old books, or family heirlooms? How about camping gear, an old jacket, or favorite toy from your childhood? Why do you release old things? Not everything is replaceable! Why do we hold onto things?
“Hoping your day brings insights and new thoughtful beginnings. Delight in Living!”