Kids' Shoes

Day 128: Kids' Shoes

Sam's shoes

At last, we are getting organized and planning for Emma's departure nineteen days from now. Step one: bringing four very full baskets of dirty clothes to the basement laundry. The dozen pairs of shoes that revealed themselves under the layers of textiles went right into a box for the Salvation Army. Some are too small, some too worn out and some just not in favor any more. Also headed for the Salvation Army: Sam's most recent pair of soccer cleats and a pair of his sneakers.

Emma's shoes

The Salvation Army is not my favorite charity - you and what army? the salvation army? - but the Salvation Army is the only charity in Ann Arbor accepting donations until the end of August. The others are all too full. While some people are shoeless and starving, we in my home town literally can't give our stuff away. The Salvation Army puts our Ann Arbor goods in a truck and drives them to our local third world country (i.e., Detroit). Yes, that's a true statement.

Meanwhile, back at the home front, did you know that it is SOP for younger siblings to get the older siblings' awesome room? What is now Sam's dark, tiny room will soon be Emma's. She mostly won't be living in it; why waste all these built-ins and bright windows? For now, she and I have agreed just to wash and sort the clothes, get rid of the obvious unused items, and leave the cleaning and organizing to me for after she's gone. I won't shed tears as I remove layers of dust from the shelves, scrape chewing gum off the wood floor and collect stray coins and spoons from between the wall and the bedpost.

Or maybe I will.

Today, for the first time in many, many weeks, I didn't need to have my cell phone in my pocket, because everyone I really want to talk to - Rich, Sam, Emma - was at home.

But not for long.