"Mom's Room"

We used to call it the dining room, but from now until the time we move out of this house, it will likely be referred to as "Mom's room".

I finally have it put back together, this room... Once my mother's place of refuge, it is now a mix of memories and possessions, both hers and mine. The hospital bed, months ago donated, has been replaced by a futon. It will be a good overnight resting place for out of town guests should they ever chance to arrive. Great Great Grandpa Shafer's portrait, the one that looks so much like my dad, has been moved from its resting place on the floor behind a chair, and hung on the wall.

The china cabinet full of glass will remain in the corner, holding its treasure, my grandma Plotzker's china set along with some of my mother's glassware, and the antique glass bookcase, whose shelves I've slowly rearranged, will also stay. Mom's cut glass cruet collection fit perfectly in the top case. Aunt Harriet's painting of the mill in Ashantee, NY still hangs on the wall. Treasures, earthly treasures, reminders of those we love who've now passed on.

The secretary's desk that was a wedding gift to my mother's parents has been moved upstairs. Shelves have been emptied and refilled with my own things in an attempt to make the room mine once again... There are still a few boxes to be sorted and disposed of. The table will stay, a gathering place for friends and family who come to share dessert and a cup of coffee. And maybe in the winter a puzzle will grace the table and, if I use my imagination, Mom and I will sit and work a puzzle together once again