All Good Things

This was inspired by Brian's story "Remnants".  Check out WayStationOne for your inspiration.

They gathered in the dining room, the funeral had been over for many weeks.  Jesse sat cradling her infant in her arms while everyone chatted to get caught up on news.  Jesse shared the story of Michael's birth, leaving the graveyard and how quickly Michael made his way into the world.

There was an aura of sadness at the table; it was obvious that Jesse's mom was missing and they were still working accepting the new dynamic.  Jesse's dad looked sad and proud at the same time, if that was possible.  He had lost his wife and soul mate but gained a grandson at the same time.  He too was struggling with the new way of things.

Michael finished his bottle and was sleeping.  The group decided to start in the sewing room upstairs.  Jesse's dad was going to stay downstairs and watch Michael sleep.  He said he wanted everything cleaned out as quickly as possible.  The memories just hurt too much.

They found so many things that showed Kathy's love of her husband and family.  There were measurements of the kids as they grew and notes about projects she wanted to tackle for them family.  Hidden away was a pattern that Jesse had said she wanted as her wedding dress.  Jesse was flabergasted to know how much her mother wanted to give her the dream dress, even though she was too sick to make it.

In the cubby hole was an entire box of baby clothes and a blanket that Michael still uses today.  Some were handmade clothes, some were obviously store bought.  Some had labels of who made them and those were packed away as heirlooms.  The dismantled sewing room looked forlorn and lonely when they were done. The table her grandfather had built was empty for the first time in Jesse's memory.  It hurt Jesse's heart to see it that way.  She knew how much peace and pride this room had given her mother.

They moved into the bedroom.  Judy suggested that Jesse look over her mom's jewlery box.  There were many treasures in there, not monetarily valuable, but valuable to Jesse and her family.  In there was jewlery from Jesse's mom's mother and father, a bite disc from Jesse's grandmother, a ring suitable for a child and many other things that Jesse had never seen.  Also in the box were the dog tags for Jesse's father when he was in the Navy.  They were lovingly encased in plastic to protect them.  Jesse's father may not have wanted a reminder of his time spent in the service, but Jesse's mom obviously wanted those memories.  It was after all, the beginning of their love story.

Also hidden away in a dresser drawer was a family history.  There were pictures and letters from relatives Jesse had only heard about briefly.  And a detailed account of how the family came to America.  What a treasure!

Its amazing that such a hard and trying day could bring such good things and wonderful memories.