Out With the Old

Have you ever owned an item you wished you could rid of, but its sentimental value prevented you from doing so?  I bet this has happened to all of us at some point in our lives.  The older we get, the more possessions we acquire, and it can become more difficult to get rid of things.  Me?  I love organization and despise clutter, so it’s always been easy for me to purge my home of unwanted items.  I actually enjoy going through my closet and attic, pulling out items and carrying them off to the local thrift stores.  But this came to a halt this past year when I discovered I no longer had a use for a piece of furniture and I did not know what to do about it.

You see, I had inherited this old wardrobe from my great-grandmother, my Mama Nora.  I’d had this wardrobe for over thirteen years, and it had survived moves to Minnesota and various apartments before finding a place in my current home.  It had graced my living room, my bedroom and my guest room with beauty, and I felt like a traitor when I dumped it into my junk room without a plan. It just didn’t fit in with my décor anymore.  Yes, I had considered giving it a fresh makeover, but the frame was wobbly and the veneer was beyond repair.  I really didn’t feel like investing a lot of time and money into it since this wasn’t a quality piece of furniture.  The only reason I kept it was because it belonged to her.

I spent a lot of time with Mama Nora growing up, and was very fortunate to have a close relationship with such an amazing woman.  She lived to be 100 years old, and I always admired her faith and perseverance.  When I would visit her, she’d give me one of her homemade biscuits to eat while she told me stories about her life, including the first time she saw me after I was born.  Tears come to my eyes even now as I recall those special times together.

Her wardrobe sat in a corner in her living room, covered with dusty boxes with more boxes stuffed inside.  Mama Nora would tell me stories about her husband, and often talked about the love letters he had written her during their courtship.  She kept these letters inside the wardrobe, held tightly together with old twine.  That is why the wardrobe held such a high sentimental value to me, and getting rid of this piece of furniture seemed impossible.

After months of contemplation, I finally came up with a plan.  I decided to salvage the doors of the wardrobe and dispose the rest of it.  That way I could keep a small part of it, and still use it as décor in my home.  I took care of the dreaded task this past weekend. After snapping some pictures of the wardrobe, I removed the mirrored doors, and my husband helped me take the rest of it to our local dump site.    As I sat in the truck and watched him throw the remains into a bin, I felt overwhelmed and tears flooded my eyes.   Why did I care so much about this piece of furniture?  I realized that each time I looked at it I thought of Mama Nora and felt a connection to her still. It is hard to let go of the past and move into the future, especially when it comes to loved ones we miss so much.

God does not want us to cling to the past; it is his intention that we look forward to a brighter future.  I prayed a silent prayer, and thought about the day when I will see Mama Nora again.  How comforting it is to know that because of Jesus Christ, I will spend eternity with her and other believers in heaven.  What a beautiful thought!  Jesus Christ brings us the hope and anticipation of a day of resurrection, and throwing away a piece of furniture certainly does not change that.  I was able to ride home with a smile on my face because of my hope in Him.

Today I have two mirrored doors sitting in my spare room, awaiting their new purpose.  What shall I do with them?  Create a chalkboard, shutters or painted mirrors?  Whatever I decide, you know it has to be special.  Make sure you follow the blog to see what happens to them!  If you have any ideas, feel free to share them with me.