Jul. 1, 2008 - Out from under the clutter ...
Last week ... AJ was in Florida.
I cleaned. Out of necessity of heart and home. The XBox room was the first because it seemed the most managable ... i was sort of wrong.
But ... I found a most precious picture of mom and son ... a few letters and cards that were fun to go through again ... clothes that were old and outdated made their way to the garbage or Goodwill.
But in the bottom of the closet, under the boxes of science experiments was a small bag. Inside were two treasures that in December of '99 I thought might be important someday. You see, even when my Granddaddy was sick, had oxygen tank and tubes everywhere ... my son loved him. He loves him still. AJ called him GG Pa ... the Pa part stuck in his mind most because when he was five he was proud that we were related to one of Jesus' apostles ... the Apostle Pa ... true story.
So, when GG Pa died when AJ was four, I wondered what he'd like to have of his ... watches were claimed ... wedding rings claimed ... there was every little of value ... AJ chose one bottle of Gray Flannel which I occassionally sneak in and smell. For him, I chose a pair of overalls and a flannel shirt which were the treasures in the bag ... tonight, I showed him the clothes ... knowing that overalls aren't his thing, I wondered what the reaction would be ... he was thrilled, which thrilled me. I even got an unsolicited hug, kiss and thank you for thinking of him all those years ago. I nearly cried watching his long legs fill the legs of my Granddaddy's overalls ... knowing how pleased he would be to see that boy that sat on his lap proudly wearing his Big Smith's ... I'll spend some time working on the cowboy boots and one other treasure for his 13th birhtday. Somehow, that just seems like the right thing to do.
My heart is full tonight.