MotherMorphosis

“You threw out my papier-mâché penguin.” “Yes, I did. We just can’t keep everything.” “Awwww…” “Honey, I spent all weekend going through things that Grandma saved from my childhood – and some even from hers! I got rid of my report cards, my handwriting homework from third grade …” “Handwriting – what’s that?” “You write in cursive.” “Huh?” “Never mind honey.” How could I explain it to someone who can type faster with two thumbs on a handheld device than with a full keyboard on a computer? I didn’t mention progress reports and tuition bills from nursery school, decades old legal documents and business records, and even a 30+ year old ponytail, from one of my more noteworthy childhood haircuts (which I have since sent to Locks of Love), never mind my mother’s personal mementos, which included photos of people whose identities I did not know, though I imagined they were our relatives, and a few of her childhood journals, from her own “Dear Diary” era. We had rented a dumpster, though a lo...