As I continue to clean out my closets, I pull out a basket filled with a number of items. I open one big plastic bag and find two things: a pair of brown slippers, which belonged to my father, and a purse. But it is the purse that makes a surprised “Oh,” escape from my mouth.
I stare at my mother’s purse, which is well over 40 years old. It is probably the last purse she bought and owned. After she died in 1972, my father gave me some of her personal items. This purse, along with her jewelry, is one my personal treasures.
The purse is a small black one with a handle and a gold snap. It is hard and sturdy. It reminds me of an old fashion lunch box but not as big. I realize the maker of this product made it to last forever. It seems these days…no one makes things to last.
When I snap open the purse, I intended to be able to smell my mother’s scent. But it wasn’t there. It was like walking into a room that was kept cool and had no odor, pleasant or unpleasant. Inside the purse were a few things: two match books, a miniature ash tray with a lid, a white handkerchief with a tatted edge made by my mother, a small drawstring purse with a few coins inside, a bulletin from St. John’s Cathedral, dated January 30, 1972. I was sad to see the date on the bulletin because that was four days before she died.
There was also an avocado green wallet with an embroidered flower on the front. Inside the photo case was a lone picture of my oldest son, Matthew, with the date, May 8, 1971. At the time of my mother’s death, he was only 20 months old. He was way too young to ever remember his grandmother.
There is $7.00 in bills and 1.37 in coins, plus two tiny figures of religious statues, one of the Infant of Prague and the other the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There used to be a small silver rosary case with a rosary in the purse. But I took this out years ago and put it into one of my dresser drawers.
When one of my daughters came to visit, I showed her the purse and she looked through it. She thought it was cool. You know something…cool was a good word to use, because my mother was a very cool person, from head to toe. As for the money – I think I will hang on to it. I just don’t want to spend it. Not now, not ever.
Thank you for sharing that moment! That in itself it a treasure!
ReplyDeleteJen
Mary, I still have my mom's purse tucked away in my closet. A few years ago, I attempted to clean it out and throw some things away...just couldn't do it. Little bits of paper, a rain bonnet, her wallet with her grand children's pictures in it, her driver's license, department store credit cards, how can I throw away these things that she carried around with her everywhere she went? I'll just keep them and every time I open up that purse, the strong scent of spearmint gum wafts out. That reminds me of her when I was a child, I always could get a stick of gum from her purse.
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