Packing up memories

We are about to have some work completed on our family home, and then it will be re-painted and freshened up for the sale market.  In the process of doing this we have come across many memory makers--photos of family trips, photos of my three daughters as children, and at various stages in their lives as they were growing up.

I have found cassette tapes of my daughter Lauren's radio shows - mainly her Sunday morning show, during which she would play music that was my kind of music--music of my youth.  Sundays were special for this reason.  Some of these tapes were given to me by her radio station after her death.  As a bit of a memorium.  I have also found video cassettes of her recording her first CD with her band, and other videos of other local bands in the area at the time, on which she would sometimes appear.  All really good keepsakes.


Lauren - her last Christmas with us

Both my Mum and my 19 year old daughter have passed on, and yesterday I carefully wrapped my Mum's cut crystal pieces--her serving bowls, candy dishes, sweet bowls, and other special pieces in bubble wrap for storage, as we make our plans to move from this family home.  I had already carted these pieces from Michigan, USA to Queensland, now they are getting ready to travel again.

I then turned to Lauren's art pieces--her life size guitar sculpture, her pottery dragons, and her other pieces of artwork.  Each piece was carefully wrapped in bubble-wrap, and placed with care on top of a soft blanket in a very large plastic container, for its planned journey to our next home--somewhere in Cairns--we still have to make those final decisions. 

'Lauren's Guitar' sculpture- stylised by Madison Liston

For now, my pieces of memory of my two very much missed people will be put safely in storage, until we make that next journey to our new home.

Chris, Maddie and I are very busy packing things into boxes, and sorting through what to keep, what to give away, and what just needs to be thrown away--it is sometimes a difficult journey emotionally for me.  While Chris and I are excited about starting our next adventures in Cairns, we are also sad to be leaving this home. There is a lot of of us which we have put into making this a welcoming home, it holds a lot of memories.

Madison will be moving down to the City to go to university - a big step in her life, and at about the same time, we will be moving to Northern Queensland - about 1,718 kilometres away from where she will be. (3 days by car, but only about 2.5 hours by flight).  So this is a big upheaval in all of our lives---but despite the sadness which can't help but be felt, there is also great excitement---and we're taking our memories with us---that's the best part---we all have adventures ahead of us!