As I drove up to the multi-storied house, the “Estate Sale” sign reminded me of my mission. Look for something I could use at work — something that might bring encouragement to the women I coached: a pot of flowers, beautiful cards, a trinket to give away.
What I didn’t expect to find was a story.
I joined the crowd of people who poked through bedrooms, closets and the kitchen — each of us searching for treasures at a reduced price.
Empathy set in as I realized this was a family who had just buried their matriarch. Now they were selling her house and sorting through what she left behind, offering pieces of her life to strangers.
What sort of life did she live? The question hounded me even as I began to discover clues to her story.
In the garage, colorful pots for the cuttings of flowers or plants. The texture of the pots described a woman attracted to pottery rather than spray-painted plastic. A woman who appreciated the genuine.
A stack of books pulled me like a magnet into the intrigue of her life. Most of us can tell our stories by the choices of books we keep on our shelves.
This woman read financial summaries and economic reports. A mathematical mind, detailed, and carefully constructed to pay attention to pi, cosign and greater than.
A pile of books about alternative health. Was she sickened by a disease no one could treat, so she tried to find help beyond the traditional medical community? Did any of the vitamins, acupuncture or colloidal treatments give her a few more years of quality life?
No books on religion. No Bibles. No creative poetry or coffee table books, unless her family had already sequestered those to keep alive memories of Mom and Grandmother.
The basement was filled with Christmas decorations. Obviously a woman who loved the holidays and filled her lavish home with pine wreaths, Scandinavian villages that lit up and over-sized ornaments, sparkling in the dim basement light.
The story of her life became even more clear as I sorted through bedding, crept into closets and fingered vintage textures. This woman knew her own style and didn’t care for polyester cutouts that looked like everyone else.
In the kitchen, more health-conscious books about nutrition, cooking without cholesterol, how to incorporate chicken instead of beef into favorite recipes.
Suddenly a wave of grief as I chose a casserole pan, wondering how many chicken meals she fixed in that particular dish before she finally succumbed to the frailty of her last days.
Before payment at the front parlor check-out, I walked through the house once more, prayed for the grieving family, found a few more treasures and considered how story follows us throughout life.
What kind of story would my life tell, and how was it accented by my stuff? If someone looked through my bookshelves, could they determine I am a student of theology, a creative writer and a woman who loves the colorful textures of the Southwest?
I came away from that estate sale lugging a garden birdhouse with its trailing ivy, a package of Christmas bulbs in my favorite dark purple, the casserole pan and a story that emanated from the treasures of one life.
Hope shines through the stories we live, and our stuff reflects who we are.
©2020 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
For more essays about hope, check out Hope Shines, on Amazon and also available in Large Print.
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This is a thought provoking piece of writing. I imagine I will be contemplating it for a while.
Thanks, Elece. I continue to think about it, too.
How true—as I sort thru my stuff and my parents—I do wonder what typr of snapshot will I be leaving for my daughters. I do feel that the objects from my parents definitely do not tell the story of 2 people who overcame large obstacles in the first half of their lives—I can’t imagine the Dust Bowl, 1929 Depression, WW2 and then the personal struggles of their own lives. I have come to admire them more as I see the bigger picture now. They rarely spoke about the hardships the went thru before they were 30.
Take care,
Sharon
Yes, my parents were silent about any hardships, too. Hopefully, we can be more open with our kids so they will know their legacy. Thanks for the comment.