Old Friends

It's been more than four years since I sold my house in Cedar Falls and packed up my belongings. At that time I thought this West Des Moines home would be a short chapter in my life so I left some things packed in storage. I have moved a few things out of storage and passed some things on to the kids but there are still some boxes and furniture in that space. Today my friend, Tammy asked me about those boxes and it reminded me that now would be a good time to sort and determine what I still want to keep. I recently heard that you should only keep what you find to be often useful or very beautiful. I like that philosophy. I want Grandma's Fostoria, but there is no room in the kitchen at this time. I do not want the box of telephones. Those will land in the dumpster. I decided to open the box of Hummels and found that it was like seeing old friends again; seventeen old friends. Yes, I do want to keep them, for now at least. They hold some precious memories and I still find them to be beautiful. Most were meaningful gifts from my mother-in-law, Betty. I remember which one was my first and I remember the occasion marked by others. She brought me the one in the front with the buggy the day that I gave birth to my first child. It's nice to see my old Hummel friends in my living room again.