I grew up with practical parents. A mother who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away..

I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress with a dish-towel in her hand. It was the time for fixing things.. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my Dad died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return..
So... while we have it.....it's best we love it.... and care for it... and fix it when it's broken......... and heal it when it's sick.

This is true. For marriage....... and old cars..... and children with bad report cards..... and dogs with bad hips.... and aging parents..... and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.
Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special........ and so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thinks I am a 'keeper'. Send it to someone you think is a 'keeper'.

How wonderful, and so true! Thanks for sharing.

Ms. Butterfly,

You outdid yourself my friend. I think I shall keep you too. :)

Some of us learn this lesson too late, though we can then try harder to be keepers in the future. Thanks

The Amish have the perfect saying, "Too soon old, too late smart". How very true. You, my dear, are a keeper.

You hit the nail on the head... Sometimes we lose sight of what is important. Luckily we have friends to lead us back....

Very nice saying and can be very true. Just never know what may be the most important to keep.

Very true :)

The description of mom and dad sounded so much like my parents, how well I remember them doing things just that way. I remember when paper towels were first on the market and my mom was visiting me, I was busy wiping up something and throwing the paper away. She said that was wasteful and expensive, I should just use old "rags" and that would be better. I could use themand rewash them. I thought that was so silly! Then when I started using zip lock bags , I would wash them out and reuse. My daughter in law thought that was stupid. There were lots of things we should have learned from our parents and didn't, and now it is too late. But for my friends, I consider you all "keepers". It's funny, but I have shared things on here that I havne'T even said to my neighbors.

Very true. It's the simple things that make the difference.Brought back memories.