When my mom died in 2007, the only thing of hers that I really wanted was a piece of furniture that had been in my parent’s house for as long as I can remember–a vintage mid-century contour recliner made sometime in the 1950’s. At the time, we were living in our 5th wheel, but we managed to wiggle and maneuver it into the rig and find a place for it nevertheless. It wasn’t until we got Felix 2018 that we had to relinquished it–and a lot of other stuff that wouldn’t fit in the motorhome–to our daughter when she bought her house.and had the extra space. But because it had been so well loved, the recliner’s wear and tear was sadly obvious and she relegated it to a corner in her bedroom upstairs where it has been a general catch-all ever since.
Just recently I discovered an upholsterer in nearby Hollister and got Felix’s cushions recovered. I mentioned my mom’s recliner to Kenny, the owner, and to my surprise, he knew exactly what I was talking about, and said he could reupholster it. I couldn’t wait to tell my daughter; she’d given up all hope of finding someone who could do the job.
When things are meant to be, they happen quickly. Within days of finding the upholsterer, we drove to Kentucky (a trip planned for months) to help with the home front while our daughter took our grandson out of town for travel ball. I thought it was the perfect time to get the recliner. The challenge was getting it down from upstairs; Dave didn’t think he and I would be able to manage it safely down the 13 steps, and I agreed. I was grateful that two of Kate’s friends came over Saturday morning and got the job done in less than five minutes. And just as I thought, it fit perfectly in the back of our car!
From Saturday morning until Tuesday morning when we delivered the recliner to the upholsterer, the rear view mirror was blocked and all that could be seen was a mirror-ful of orange and nothing else. I couldn’t help but notice the comparison to life; that what we’ve been in the past doesn’t matter nearly as much as what we are becoming. That what we’ve done in the past doesn’t matter nearly as much as what we do today. That the old, worn out thoughts of yesterday can be refreshed and renewed.
This was a lesson I needed to learn, and it came at just the right time. Self-flagellation comes all too easily to me, and recently I’ve been criticizing myself for certain past decisions–not that it does any good. I’m grateful that I connected the situation to real life. Three days of not seeing what was behind me didn’t prevent me from moving forward; in fact, I was paying more attention to what was ahead since there was no point in looking behind. This was a good lesson to learn.
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. ~Proverbs 4:25
