Denuded

Note to self – when trying to fight off a nasty cold, do not, I repeat, do not, forget to bring your cold medicine with you to work. I, of course, forgot this maxim yesterday and paid for it with a particularly unpleasant afternoon at my desk. It’s one of those colds which endow surprise sneezing fits that last anywhere from 2-3 sneezes to a baker’s dozen in quick succession. In other words, not a lot of fun; Monday in spades.

I came home to find my wife had been extraordinarily industrious while I was away sneezing. We’re putting the house up on the market again in a couple weeks and she’s read literature that says personal photos and items shouldn’t be left up. This was a true conundrum for our house which is nothing if not prevalent with family photos.

The Denuded Wall

She’d taken upon herself to remove all the offending photos and I felt a real sense of loss when I saw the bare walls, especially on the stairs. We had liberally festooned that wall with photos of family throughout the years. Each morning when I came down the stairs I’d always glance over to recapture some special moment with the people looking back at me, some of whom are long gone.

In Better Days

I’ll miss giving my mom and dad a nod, thinking how much they’d love their grandchildren and the adults they’ve grown into. Pictures of sisters, cousins, and pets still possessed the power to evoke the sentiments which only family can provide. Most of all I’ll miss the cherished, fleeting moments with my children as I descend that staircase seeing them as babies as well as their college graduations. The little girl holding her arms out to be picked up and the tow headed boy with a mischievous glint in his eye keeping an eye peeled for that same older sister. The most memorable photo from my daughter's wedding day was her coming down those stairs in her wedding dress by all those photos of her life before. 

My Daughter on Her Wedding Day Five+ Years Ago

Making that walk down the stairs each day somehow reconnected me with these most important people in my life. I know it sounds maudlin and overly sentimental but the house seems less like a home this morning. Maybe this is the first step in letting go because we’ve never been in a home this long together. It’s tougher than I thought it would be.

My wife asked me why I was so quiet as I tried to spackle over the damage to wall her overly energetic removal of nails had produced. I told her how I felt about the missing photos. She teared up a little and at that moment I knew she understood and had experienced the similar emotions. She’d bottled them up until then and we shared some time reflecting on how blessed we were with memories.

Group Photo From Canadians Visit Last Week

Front Yard This Morning

Back yard