Where to go with this heavy piano

Mom has been hospitalized a couple times recently. We are grateful she apparently has both the Lord’s blessing and what old-timers used to call “a strong constitution”. We still have many things we would like to talk over with her. We discovered more questions as we prepared for last week’s garage sale.

First, though, if I were an artist, or if I had kept my camera with me during the hospitalization before this one, I think I could have a priceless picture.

One goal set by physical therapy was for Mom to walk from her room to the nursery window and see the babies. I was there to encourage the attempt.

When Mom, almost 97 and clad in the doubled hospital gown, reached the nursery window to view this world’s newest arrivals she was surrounded by a therapist holding her oxygen tank and “safety” belt and another therapist who kept a recliner just behind her in case Mom tired too quickly.

I could not help but wonder about how different the world when those little ones reach toward their own century mark.

This past week we four siblings met to finish the dismantling of the household and other items Mom had before she moved her to the care center across the street from where I live.

Earlier when we met in April at my house, we thought Mom had too few items left to merit an auction. We wanted my brother to be able to rent out the house he had provided for Mom after we moved her from her farm home to across from his house.

Mom had lived in her farmhouse for 68 years and the little house for about four. When she made that transition, we hauled many vanloads of items to a thrift store and put the rest aside for a later time.

Last week was “the time”.

We were all together, minus Mom whose hospitalization kept her from attending her 80th class reunion at the school from which our whole family had graduated, over Memorial weekend. We did a quick run-through with my sister as she selected items for storage since she was going to spend most of the week with Mom.

The “little garage sale” grew into a “Would anybody want this anyway?” and a “Will the room be large enough?” garage sale.

Those of you who have tackled a similar task can imagine the sorting, sentimentalizing, packing, lifting, hauling, pricing, arranging and other tasks that go into such an undertaking.

We four siblings were raised to not let anything get in the way of maintaining good relationships with each other, and we always look forward to times together. This was no exception. However, the day before the sale was to start, my sister discovered Mom needed another hospitalization.

What should we do? We had delicate antiques, farm items including tools, household items including furniture and dozens of other items “out of place” or at the rented sale site and a deep loyalty to Mom.

We all concluded it was as if we had a piano three-fourths of the way across a stream, questioning whether to finish or carry it back to shore. Since my sister was with Mom and we had plenty of cell phones, we “carried the piano” to shore.

Thankfully, Mom steadily improved. When I came back Saturday night, she enjoyed hearing of our garage sale antics and surprises. Next week I hope to share those with you.

Marge Warder is a news reporter for the Red Oak Express. She can be contacted at mawarder@yahoo.com