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Furniture and memories
By juliezavala in My Turn
January 18, 2011

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We had company this weekend. My brother Jody and his family came all the way from Vidor (Texas) to visit Dad before his birthday and we had a good time. They also brought my Mom's old bedroom furniture to me. Jody had asked our other brothers and sisters whether they wanted her dresser and chest of drawers but there were no takers. I was glad to get them.

There are a lot of memories associated with each piece. When I was three or four the bottom drawer was mine and I remember how proud I was to have my own special place for my clothes. I loved pulling the clothes out and putting them on. I felt so grown-up.

Later, the bottom drawer became the communal sock drawer. Many frantic minutes were spent digging through that drawer of socks to find a matching pair amidst a sea of mismatched, different sizes, belonging to six kids. It was not unusual for me to end up wearing my brothers white tube socks to school, the extra length folded under my toes. Not very comfortable, but hey, the school bus was coming; sometimes you just had to make do.

As I was growing up, the top drawer of the chest of drawers held my Dad t-shirts, handkerchiefs and underwear. Later it became a catch-all for his watch, keys, Birthday cards from the kids and whatever he might empty from his pockets at the end of a workday.

The last memory I have of using the chest of drawers was when I was caring for Mama before she died last year in March. By this time she kept her pajamas and underwear in the first and second drawers. Her socks were in the third drawer.

My husband and brother unloaded the furniture and put it outside in the garage. I looked through all the drawers to see if anything was in them. The top drawer held a wall clock that used to hang in Mama and Daddy's kitchen. My daughter Janine asked for the clock because it reminds her of her grandma. I'm going to mail it to her in California. The clock plays a different bird song on the hour. I played some of the sounds by pushing a button on the back and thought of the times I sat with Mama, drinking coffee at her kitchen table until midnight or later laughing and talking with the birds chirping out the hours. I honestly believe those days will come again as soon as my time here is over. Something wonderful to think of. Mama, put the coffee on!

Last night I cleared a space in my bedroom for the dresser. The chest of drawers will have to sit in my closet. I thought about putting it in my dad's room, but too many drawer choices will just drive him crazy. Mom used this dresser as a computer desk and she spent many hours playing Scrabble, e-mailing her family, and ordering books from Amazon.com. I've set up my computer in the same place she had hers. I love it.

My dad doing very well, by the way. Today is his 86th birthday. We're taking him out to the Olive Garden tonight and then it's back home to eat strawberry cake and ice cream. I am treasuring this time spent with him. We're enjoying each others company so much.

My advice to you? If your mom or dad are alive give them a call. Tell them you love them. Go visit. Our time on earth is shorter than I ever dreamed it could be.