I rediscovered this today while packing up the sewing room. It is a Jim Thompson Thai Silk scarf. It has never been worn. I can't remember who gave it to me though the list is very short.....What do you do with scarves exactly? I am always annoyed by them when they are around my neck; unnecessary adornments, slippery entanglements, needing a knot or special pin.
I can and do appreciate its beauty, its hand stitched rolled hem, the beautiful packaging. But passing it from one drawer to another, one moving box to the next. It has travelled with me, never leaving its envelope. Now where does it go? Storage, ebay, a "regift" ? ? ?
Packing has never been an easy task for me. It forces me to look at the accumulations of my life and sort them into categories: keep, toss, donate. In my heart ofcourse it is all keep, in my head it is all donate. The reality is that most of what I surround myself with will be tossed.
I hold on to memories so tightly and associate them with "things." Silly things, little notes, bejeweled clothespins, scouting projects, letters written by children, cards from my mother sent with encouraging words, photos of my Dad laughing, of my children playing, my sisters posing on the Maine sea shore. Snippets of life, of parties, of family, of success and of failure. All the layers of my life building up to this packing day.
Tears come to an end after a conversation denoucing my failure. A conversation of encouragement, of love, of faith; and I realize I am building a new foundation for the life I will have after we leave this house. A happy life. An adventure full of love, family, laughter, music, sewing, and renovations! Home renovations and life renovations, all triggered by the rediscovery of a silk scarf.
