I told myself I wouldn't apologize for not having posted anything in, what, 6 months? So I'm not sorry. So there. But, dang, it's been a while.
Truly I haven't written anything because I haven't wanted to. Because I'm a big, blubbering baby and the last six months have been really emotionally trying. My gramps had a stroke-like illness last August, and the whole family has had to adjust to the changes. The task of cleaning out and packing up his old home fell to me and my mom, and it has been one of the most heartbreaking experiences of my life. But I've also gotten the opportunity to really get to know my gramps in a way I hadn't before. I'd much rather he still be the crazy old guy determined to climb up and fix his own roof (I seriously believed until last fall that he would kick the bucket at 90-something by falling off a roof), but this time spent with him has been really precious.
Now, anybody who knows me knows that I'm either the best or worst person for the sentimental task of cleaning out someone's house. The best because I won't get rid of anything that could have the least bit of family history or emotional attachment. The worst because I won't get rid of anything that could have the least bit of family history or emotional attachment. For several weeks this spring my house looked like a storage locker. I've since been able to let go of some things I couldn't find family homes for (not everyone in my family shares my over-sentimentality) but I find myself holding on to the strangest things. Things like hankerchiefs. All my life my Gramps has had a hankerchief in his pocket. So when I found a stack of badly stained hankies, I kept them. And now I can think of my Gramps every time I use them to clean around the house. It might not be everyone's idea of a quality keepsake, but it works for me.
