It seems to me we rarely sit down anymore and are always on the move.
When I was in Montreal this summer and commented on stacks of boxes at the curb side and television sets on the sidewalks I was told moving day is an annual event in the city. I've done my share of moving since I left my parents' home almost 25 years ago.
I've lived in various homes in nine different Saskatchewan communities. I've moved into clean and fresh dwellings and I've had to scrub others.
I don't mind helping other people move and have appreciated the time and strength of friends and family members over the years. I remember hearing the stories about all the clutter left in my grandparents' house when my grandmother moved to an extended care home. It helps me to curb my own desire to keep everything 'just in case.'
This week my parents moved. It wasn't the house I grew up in, but I've experienced great joy and hospitality there and it was my father's last home. My mother has spent the last couple of months bringing boxes of treasures to my siblings and me to go through.
Our favourite night was the one where she hauled in Dad's record collection. We shared memories of our favourite songs and the times Dad would call up from the basement asking us to listen to a record with him.
I helped take away a few pieces of furniture and spent a day cleaning and scrubbing cupboards and rooms. In the hidden places on high shelves and behind drawers there were still reminders of my father even after a decade.
One of my greatest accidental finds was a piece of sheet music. It was the piano piece he played start to finish over and over again. My dad wanted music in the house. He loved listening and wanted to be able to play. He knew a few pieces on the guitar and piano and would often drum along.
I've looked for the torn and pen-marked copy of "The Entertainer" many times and it was almost lost forever. While wiping out one of the last drawers in a built-in desk in the basement I found it crumpled up behind and under the bottom drawers.
My mother and step-father are going through a time of change, perhaps downsizing, although they've already spread out by buying a condo down south. Moving has always stirred memories and although it can be hard to leave a place where there has been such great joy and emotion, I look forward to following the important people who will welcome me to a new table and space where more treasures will be hidden and more memories made. I know we won't forget the old.
