Treasure

My sister is moving to Kazakhstan. Yes, you read that right...Kazakhstan. I'm kind of enjoying writing it because by golly, I know how it is spelled. I also know where it is located...in the wild steppes of Central Asia. They are moving to the capital, Astana, to teach in the international school there.

They are CRAZY PEOPLE.

There, now that I have said it, I can proceed with the blog.

Because they are moving in July, they are selling literally everything they own. Their house, cars, furniture, children (oops, no, they are keeping them) and all the junk that comes with 19 years of marriage. By everything, I do not mean the little parts of life that people can't ever seem to let go of. The candlestick your mother used every Christmas that is just a little bent, but reminds you of her. The photos of you as a teen in all sorts of silly and non-photogenic situations. The old tablecloths. The picture frames from Iran. The trolls from Norway. The Coconut Monkey from Cocoa Beach. The macrame plant hangers from 1973.

These come to ME.

I love my sister dearly, but now when she suggests I pop in for a few minutes, I take pause. Even worse is the phrase, "I have some things for you". Because, truly, so many of the things are just what I want! I wanted all of the silly items my mother had stored in her Kuwaiti chest from Iran. Sure, I was hoping for uncut sapphires and old gold coins, but the Coconut Monkey still makes me think of her. It's just that, for all the years since we lost my mom, I have managed to live without these things, while my sister kindly had boxes and boxes of them in her garage and attic. And now? They are all MINE.

The kids are loving this treasure trove of stuff. They had seen the chest, closed, all the years of their lives. My mom had packed it in 1992, and none of us had even beared to even glance through it since then. Sis sent the chest (very cool and which Rowdy is polishing up even now for his Star Wars themed bedroom...not sure how an old wooden chest works in there, but if it's out of the living room, we are all happy), and the kids and I went through it a few minutes ago. I was harboring hopes of inlaid ivory frames (the kind my mom gave to all my aunts and uncles when we came home on leave and which I longingly look at on every trip west), and brass trays. I found the following:

Coconut Monkey (well-wrapped)
Ceramic Horse
Sister's pottery from age 10
Two macrame plant hangers
Family Circle magazine
Troll (cool)
Two pig salt and pepper shakers
Candle holder with old candle in it
Hookah?
Buddha
Carved wooden boy with geese
Old wooden frame. Not ivory.
Jar of rocks
Playing cards from Singapore Airlines (unopened) and Mobil Oil (opened)

Okay, so, yes, treasure indeed. I'm picturing my beautiful mom lovingly wrapping all of the above and packing the chest as she prepared for her final move to Texas. I'm thinking, this is a woman who owned fine china, the best crystal, linens, and jewelry. Where the heck is that?

She also had a sense of humor. Seriously? When I unwrapped the Buddha (cracked and broken) and thought, "Where is the jade from Hong Kong?" (the same trip on which they purchased said Buddha), I realized that in fact, we had not found her treasure chest. She had probably wrapped up the things she might have to toss once she reached Texas. Not the macrame or pottery or rocks of course. THOSE were precious.

Oh, and I'm keeping the monkey.