Compelling me to keep 'em

While so many of our belongings have been purged there are traces of our treasures that still are under review and scrutiny. Tonight was a box that I have not wanted to open. I'm not exactly sure but for some reason I have equated the contents with my memories, as if the memories would go when I let the box go. In the spirit of our cleanse and being willing to live in a smaller space, it was time to make the review. Shane pulled the box from our storage garage and I plopped down in the middle of the family room. I called to my children to come take a look. I opened the lid to find some of the sweetest tiny little blue outfits. Kaytlynn and Harrison began to ooh and ah. Harrison asked, "whose are those?"

He was shocked to hear me say that they were his when he was a baby! I guess it is strange to have these perfectly tiny little clothes in my closet, moved from house to house for all of this time. We agreed to go through the outfits one my one and pick a few of our favorites to save but we certainly didn't need the 30 plus outfits for under 12 months of age. He delighted me when he suggested we share some with the babies in Ethiopia. Oh yes, Harrison! I thought I could wash them up and see how they looked. Some of the clothing with white was starting to discolor. A little soak in Biz should do the trick.

I began to reminisce about Harrison's birth and walking through pregnancy with him. Harrison's life is absolutely a miracle. A twinge of guilt overcomes me as I try to remember the specifics. I am sure I can't possibly get them all right but I should be able to capture the spirit of the story. Maybe holding onto his clothes was my way of waiting to part with the story. It is time, time to remember and write as much as I can possibly remember.

Most everything was delightfully exciting and wonderful until about week 10. It was then that we knew something was wrong. To be continued...