Saturday and a step along the way …

Saying goodbye to my daughter as she began her new life in Brazil was no mean feat. Although the departure was sad, it was the anticipation and the emotional aftermath that proved most difficult to me.

However, it pales into insignificance when compared with the trauma of clearing her room. Had my daughter left home to live in this country there would not have been a problem. Her belongings accumulated since a tiny girl would have be sorted and taken or not.

Not so for Brazil; first there was the  luggage restriction, climate and new life. Winter clothes and heavy ’baggage’ such as piano, flute, books, cameras etc etc were left behind for later consideration.  

We were not in any particular need for the space at first it was a convenient space for the aged PC used only occasionally and turned on from time time to update Mcafee.

So the time has come to make proper use of the room and find secure homes for these redundant items until she returns (or not).

It is this experience that has proved more emotionally disturbing and energy draining.  Each item catalogued and packed away until an unknown time.It seems as if we have cleansed her exsistence from her home.  

We have almost finished; in a week or two the PC will be replaced with a Laptop, posters and their aging blue tack will be removed.  Then, the sunshine yellow walls will be painted away with a coat of Farrow and Ball’s Elephant’s Breath.   

However, a few things have remained including all the books; I couldn’t bring myself to remove such a huge part of my daughters life. The room will be put to good use in her absence not a empty shell or a shrine of regret but rich and lively celebration of my girl whether she returns home or not.