Florida Council of Catholic Women/Province of Miami at P. O. Box 1811, Labelle, FL 33975 US - TO A KEEPER

I GREW UP IN THE FORTIES AND FIFTIES WITH A PRACTICAL PARENT, MY MOTHER, GOD LOVE HER,WHO IRONED CHRISTMAS WRAPPING PAPER AND REUSED IT. WHO WASHED ALUMINUM FOIL AFTER SHE COOKED IN IT, THEN REUSED IT. SHE WAS THE ORIGINAL RECYCLE QUEEN, BEFORE THEY HAD A NAME FOR IT. IT WAS THE TIME FOR FIXING THINGS.A CURTAIN ROD, THE KITCHEN RADIO, THE SCREEN DOOR, THE OVEN DOOR, THE HEM IN A DRESS. THINGS WE KEEP. IT WAS A WAY OF LIFE, AND SOMETIMES IT MADE ME CRAZY. ALL THAT RE-FIXING, REHEATING, RENEWING, I WANTED JUST ONCE TO BE WASTEFUL. WASTE MEANT AFFLUENCE. THROWING THINGS AWAY MEANT YOU KNEW THERE'D ALWAYS BE MORE. THEN MY MOTHER DIED,I SAT IN MY KITCHEN THAT SUNDAY AFTERNOON READING HER OLD HANDMADE COOKBOOK IN A BINDER. I WAS STRUCK WITH THE PAIN OF FEELING ALL ALONE. LEARNING THAT SOMETIMES THERE ISN'T ANYMORE. SOMETIMES WHAT WE CARE ABOUT MOST GETS ALL USED UP AND GOES AWAY...NEVER TO RETURN. SO WHILE WE HAVE IT, IT IS BEST WE LOVE IT AND CARE FOR IT AND FIX IT WHEN IT IS BROKEN, HEAL IT WHEN IT IS SICK. THIS IS TRUE FOR MARRIAGE AND OLD CARS, CHILDREN WITH BAD REPORT CARDS, DOGS WITH BAD HIPS, AGING PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS. WE KEEP THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE WORTH IT; BECAUSE WE ARE WORTH IT. SOME THINGS WE KEEP, LIKE A BEST FRIEND THAT MOVED AWAY OR A CLASSMATE WE GREW UP WITH. THERE ARE JUST SOME THINGS THAT MAKE LIFE IMPORTANT; LIKE PEOPLE WE KNOW WHO ARE SPECIAL, SO WE KEEP THEM CLOSE!

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