So this week's Photo Friday word was sentimental. And I only had to think for about half a minute when I knew exactly what I would photo. And that is this ...
I know, I know. It's not much to look at, and the photo is not even a great one at that. This lonely, empty dresser sits in a corner of a spare room. And for many months it was slated as a Goodwill donation. But I cannot take it there. And then I thought that I would just put in the storage space we rent. But I cannot do that either. For whatever crazy reason, this dresser is a reminder of my son's youth. I was a single mom raising Mason. We didn't have a lot of nice things. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment until he was five. It was a huge step up when we moved into a two-bedroom apartment. I remember Mason being so proud of his very own bedroom. I thought he might be scared to sleep in a room all by himself, but he was thrilled. And this dresser is the only piece of furniture that I ever bought ... not a hand-me-down or bought for us ... I bought it brand new and it was just for Mason. It was $75, and I bought it at Haverty's. A fairly good price at that time, but not terribly cheap either - especially for a single-income household. But I was so proud to buy it for him. So you see, there is no way I can take this dresser to Goodwill or put it in storage. That would mean having to face the fact that my son is grown up and probably will not be living at home anymore. So I let it sit in this desolute room, where it's close enough that I see it everyday.
Oh yeah, I'm crying. I had put off journaling about this dresser for a long time. First I had to figure out why I was so reluctant to get rid of it when that is certainly not the case with other furniture we no longer use. I am sooooo not a pack rat. But I knew that when I sat down to write about it that I would become weepy. Mason is now 22 and serving in the military overseas. So proud of him and ready for him to be back home in the States. Then he can take this dresser and use it in his new place. I think I could handle that.
From one single mom to another. I have a daughter and we also shared a one bedroom apartment from when she was five to twelve.
Beautiful story.
Posted by: Peruby | March 29, 2007 at 02:54 AM