I must admit, I probably have more things in my closet than I need or will ever wear out. Sometimes I wonder why I keep so much stuff, but that’s a theme for another blog. I’m sure one of the reasons is memories. Our closets are full of them. Maybe it’s a certain suit or dress you wore at a friend’s or even a child’s wedding. Maybe a tee shirt you bought at a particular location, on a special occasion. Maybe a pair of shoes you wore to a party or maybe to church on occasions. If those shoes could talk, just imagine what they could say about places you’ve been, things you’ve done, people you’ve met.
I have a pair of shoes in my closet I bought a number of years ago. I purchased them on a weekend when one of our boys was playing baseball in college. After a double header, my wife and I had some time to kill, so we went to the local Outlet Mall to browse around. I bought this pair of work shoes at the Bass outlet. They’re not worn out since I haven’t used them a great deal over the years, but every time I put them on, I remember watching our sons play baseball.
We’ve had 3 son’s play baseball in college, so my wife and I have traveled a lot of miles, sat through a lot of games, and enjoyed times we’ll never forget. One of the more unforgettable games was when our oldest son was playing 2 double headers on a Saturday and Sunday in Tennessee. My wife and I left our house on Friday evening and stayed the night in Louisville, got up the next morning, and headed to the game which started at noon.
We arrived at the park a little late and had just sat down to begin watching the game. Our team had already batted and was just going into the field for the bottom half of the first inning. Our son, who was the catcher, warmed up the pitcher, threw the ball down to second base, and was ready for the first batter. I’m not sure if it was the first or second pitch, but the batter swung at the ball, and on the back swing, caught our son’s arm with the bat and laid open a gash 5-6” long, just below his elbow. We’ve watched our children play basketball, football, soccer, softball, and 3 sons play college baseball. I’ve always told my wife, if one of them gets hurt, we sit there until the coach motions us over, which in this situation, is exactly what he did.
So, my wife and I took our son to the hospital to be stitched up. 17 stitches later the doctor was wrapping up our son’s arm. With the amount of bandages he put on that arm, he must have known what our son was going to do as he told him he shouldn’t play for 2 weeks. We got to the ballpark just about the time the team was loading the bus to go to the hotel. As we approached the bus the coach asked: “What did the doctor say? To which our son responded: “He said I’m good for tomorrow.” Now, if we were good parents, we probably should have told the coach that the doctor said he shouldn’t play for 2 weeks, but we felt that as a senior in college, he needed to make some of his own decisions. Well, he caught both games the next day, and never had any problems with this arm, so maybe we’re not such bad parents after all.
Every time I put those shoes on, I sit and ponder about some of the very enjoyable and interesting times we had watching our children paly baseball. It always brings a smile to my face.
There are many other items in my closet that bring back memories, but possibly none as much as the 50-year old suit I have hanging there. I mentioned in a previous blog a mentor I had while working summers in college. This man was the kind of person an 18 to 20-year old boy would be captivated by. He was a good businessman, wealthy, smart, tough, and had a great wife and family. His oldest son was my best friend. He was always quite a nice dresser, and whenever he and his wife went out, they were always “dressed to the nines.” One evening after work he told his wife he wanted to go buy a new suit, which would usually mean more than just a suit. He asked me if I wanted to go. Never passing up the opportunity to be with him, of course I said yes. Going shopping with him was not just a trip to the mall, it was going to a high-end men’s store and getting the whole experience.
As he and his wife were deciding on suits, I was looking through the section with my size, thinking would I ever be able to afford a suit like this. At that moment he walked over to me and asked which one of those suits I liked the most. I said: “well, I like this one or that one.” He looked over to the tailor and said: “We’ll take these two.” I immediately responded by saying I didn’t have enough money to buy those suits. Then he said: “I do.” So, for the first time in my life I stood for a tailor fitting me for 2 suits. You want to blow the mind of a poor 19-year old boy? Buying him 2 new suits at a high-end men’s store will certainly do it.
I’ve since given one of the suits to an organization that cloths people in need, but the second one I just can’t part with. Maybe one of these days, double breasted wide lapel suits will come back in style, and I can go out some evening “dressed to the nines.”. That is, if I can get it on. That suit brings back memories I can think about for hours.
So, what’s in your closet? I’m sure if you look, there are some memories in there. Maybe some rainy Saturday or Sunday afternoon you might enjoy looking through your closet, and spend some time with your memories. I certainly do.
Thank you for reading.
Dad