Keepers of homes

While in Puerto Rico last week, I helped my sister clean out my dad's room. Memories are made of this...

The old dresser originally in our bedroom was there. I found my doll and re-crocheted the original autumn dress for her, like new again. His suits were few and may be saved for great-grandsons. Papi-"Wello", had given me a few ties for Joey (July 2006),and I had asked for a tie-clip for Davey.
Found a small change purse, which 'Peachy'(Wello's pet name for little Joey) said,"it's Wella's!". I gave it to him, he said he'd put it in his treasure-box. Davey calls a change purse Wello gave me (when I lived in N.Y.C.) Wello's "change-chito" purse. I've placed inside momentos: a picture-button of July 15th, Papi-Wello and Diane Marie's-Nune's same birthday, and a white hankie of his.
A desk-side, small-green Spanish New Testament saved.
Some shirts were set aside(ask titi Millie). Even found an old mickey-mouse t-shirt of Dominic's, had holes in it,though.
Wello was a pack-rat, when it came to paperwork! One word kept crossing my mind:"DOWNSIZE". Mostly receipts and very old utility bills. Almost got asthma.

Finally done, the big living-room mirror needs polishing,I thought as I stared at it reflectively, if it could play back all our lives. I'd see all the people who visited during holidays, summer-nights of shared parties: Tata's graduation and my birthday, when I screamed, "I hate teenagers" and Madrina Julie coming to the rescue with a cake, which Tesoro (Diana a toddler) put her toes in. Stolen teen kisses(while mami was in the kitchen, watching through the second strategically- placed mirror). Tata's wedding, we had halloween-crashers theme song: "Will you still love me tomorrow?". Jumping on the bed, styling, yelling: "VOGUE"!!; neighborhood girls lining-up to get hair set and styled; writing love letters to Larry in Vietnam (I felt like Cyrano de Bergerac); baby boys being fed, dressed and treated like dolls; playing Christmas game with titi Annie; spinning Diana around singing:"WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR"(until she practically fainted); Wello cooking everyone's favorite meals; our last pastele dish-making together and Wello and Wella lovingly looking down at their (how many bobos does Wella have?) wonderful grandsons.

Back to the present: there's still a lot work to be done in the "retirement home", where the second half of generations of grand & great-grandkids were raised, lots of living memories to clean and enjoy.

Like Wella would say,(when we'd get depressed):"PONTE A RECOGER ES LO QUE TIENE QUE HACER!" (start picking-up is what you need to do!)

PRECIOUS ARE THE MEMORIES, THAT NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY FROM US...IN CHRIST'S LOVE, ANNIE.