Sunday, April 30, 2006

Bittersweet


Bittersweet
Originally uploaded by The Paper Doll.

My mother in law and her siblings have been going through their childhood home recently. As fate would have it, Grandma S has begun a steady decline into senile dementia. It started off fairly simply (as it always does), but now she has to be watched all the time.
It's been decided that Grandma S's house will be put on the market. Because of this I've been the recipient of a great many items of hers. Mostly sewing, quilting, and crafting. While I always love receiving supplies, I can't say I enjoy receiving them this way.
I'm a bit conflicted. On one hand, I'm glad to get them while she's still alive, so that I can look at them without feeling complete loss. On the other hand, I would have wished her to have given them to me of her own volition. Instead we, the family, pick over her house like vultures, dividing up her posessions amongst ourselves like morsels. I know we can't ever have the S that we had before, but I wish she were there to guide us.

3 comments:

Sasha said...

Thanks, I'm rather fond of it myself! I'm glad to be the one to house her sewing things. It really is an honor.

King Carmen said...

I remember clearing out my great grannies flat after she died. I was supposed to be there to help carry things, but I found it quite an eye-opener about the characters in our family. The bickering was utterly disgusting, and I couldn't help feel like a vulture, either...

Hope you'll be able to treasure your new treasures nevertheless! At least you'll be able to use them, rather than just chuck them out.

Sasha said...

All hail King Carmen! Sorry, just couldn't help it. I'm really sorry to hear about your experience. So far the family has managed to stay mostly civil, but really only because we're so close. I'm finding ways to really enjoy the gifts given, slowly but steadily.