Mementoes

I have officially moved to a new home! More than relocation, the past few days had an amazing amount of reflection time for me. I came face to face with many memories, some of which made me happy, like running into my son’s baby book, complete with his first lock of hair from his first trip to the barber. I found the little baby outfit in which I had taken my younger son home from the hospital when he was born. I found my college graduation tassel, which says “Class of 1983!” I found things you won’t believe and I have every intention of taking pictures of them and putting them here for you to see, like my childhood stamp collection and LP’s from my teenage years!

But I also found old photographs and mementos of a man I once loved, things that I had buried in corners of my closet and drawers, only for me to know and see. Love letters, pictures, a beautiful pen, maps of places we had visited together, silly mementos from those trips which only made sense to us, like a newspaper clipping of an Italian newspaper with just the date on it, business card of a tea house in Vienna, or a book bought in an Iranian province where they stamped the inside of the books with the bookshop’s name and date when they sold you the book, and a brief note on a hotel stationery, announcing brightly: “Good Morning. I love you. I’ll be back in 45 minutes.” Memories flooded and engulfed me for a while there, stopping work and thinking.

You know, just as it is hard to imagine my 6’4” son in those baby clothes anymore, it is also hard to imagine and remember the man and woman in those pictures. The thing to remember about memories and mementoes is that in time, they remind you not necessarily of a person or a place, but of a feeling of joy, love, and excitement that was present when those events took place. My mementoes are not of that man any more, but of the love that once existed, beautiful and bold and real, but which ended a long time ago.

Anyhow, I reflected and worked hard, and I’m ready to relax now! I was listening to a John Lennon CD this weekend. The song I absolutely love is called “Nobody Told Me” possibly the last song John Lennon ever sang. I listened and sang along and worked with that CD all through packing and unpacking. The funny thing is that when I came in to check on the Comcast guy’s progress, he had his back to me and I saw him moving his hips to the tune of the song! That was hilarious. I quietly left the room.

Watch the video clip here.