It's kinda funny the little things you notice in life. Especially the changes you see unfold around you. For example, years ago mom and I came to an agreement that, since we were sharing the same apartment, and we both had nearly identical things (ie, forks, spoons, plates, living room stuff, etc, etc), as her stuff wore out and needed to be replaced, we'd do so with my stuff. The idea, I think, and I believe she understood this clearly when we came to this agreement, was that at some point in the future she would be leaving for Heaven, but I wouldn't, and there was also no reason to have two of everything in the house.

Well, as a result of that agreement, by the time mom passed away, there was so little left of hers that inventory of what was actually hers took a grand total of about 5 minutes. Somewhere around half of that went to my sister after the funeral, and the rest came with me to Lansing. Since my move up here, at least four of the things that were hers, that came up here with me, have been replaced, including a favorite spoon that held in there LONG, LONG after it should've died given how much we'd been using it, and the abuse it went through. A couple other things as well have found their way out the door too, having just finally quit.

In some way I wonder if they didn't hang in there as long as they did, well, well beyond their expected lifetimes, holding up against impossible odds with almost supernatural strength, only finally giving out after she was gone, as though feeling as if their duty was now complete, and they were no longer needed. And, while the bulk of that happened in the early months after she was gone, one of the old guard, an old disk soap bottle and pump that is, if you wish to believe it, at least 20 years old, finally began giving up the ghost recently, and was only just today replaced.

The bottle you see on the right is mom's old soap pump; a recycled Amway Dish Drops dispenser. You can't even get them anymore. Just the refill bottles. Well, at least as far as I've been able to find anyways. The bottle on the left is the new hire; the one that is replacing mom's old soap pump. I can tell you this, that new soap pump is gonna have BIG shoes to fill, because that old soap pump went through at least 3 moves, and I can't even tell you how many hundreds of gallons of dish soap over the years. Probably several thousand if the truth were to be known. And I'm trying not to get sentimental about an old dish soap pump.

But, it's interesting the things you remember, and the stuff that, by itself is not important. But when attached to someone else, it gains a sentimental value. Am I going to keep the old pump? Nah. It did it's job, it's served its purpose, it's run its race. It's time for it to be retired into the landfill. However, that doesn't mean I can't give it a parting thanks for all the hard work it gave us over the years. And, just like my mom, it was a tough old bird, unstoppable, a fighter, and downright indomitable, standing up to the most incredible abuse we could dish out to it (no pun intended), and taking it like a champ.

Farewell, Mr. Dish Drops Soap Dispenser. You've served my family well. Now go enjoy your retirement.  :)