|
 “And
to my children, I leave my filling cabinets full of warranties for
appliances we no longer own.” Organized Life.
How true is the above quote? Upon my beloved husband, Mac, marching
into Glory I have had to procure many files, reports, and
documentation. I was stymied at each and every endeavor. I found car
titles that went back to the 1960’s and 70’s. How did he sell the
cars? I sat with titles in hand and imagined him back then. Young,
excited, his love of cars building and developing. I found a picture
of him holding his first born, showing baby Kent the engine of his
Mustang. Mac had a full head of hair and a grin from ear to ear.
Another fifteen minutes of my time imagining that day. Still looking
for the “Power of Attorney” form, I forged further into our files.
I found his slide rule. Oh. My. Goodness. I never knew how to use it
back then, so I certainly don’t know how to use it now. It is ever
so impressive. In its faux leather case, it seems very imposing yet
grand.
I found my first love letter to him tucked away in his files. It
made me cry that he kept it. It made me blush that I wrote it. I
memorized it, I treasured the memories it brought back, then quickly
destroyed it from any future prying eyes. Oh, to be young and in
love again. Priceless.
Of course, there was the drawer full
of old car magazines. Mac could never throw out a publication with a
good article about a Ford. I put them all in a big cardboard
banker’s box and gave them to my grandson. He loves the old cars and
will have hours of enjoyment reading about the antiques that Grampie
witnessed coming right off the assembly line. Yes, the world moves
quickly. But where is the “Power of Attorney” form?
T. H. Thompson, author, “A filing cabinet is a place where you can
lose things systematically.” There is no rhyme or reason to figure
out my dear husband’s filing system. We worked together in our
business for 25 years. I thought I had his brain figured out. It’s
amazing how one’s thinking, reasoning, and rationality change from
that of the workplace to that of the home. It’s like two different
people. But, then upon pondering I could say the same about myself.
When you must file so precisely for years, it is only natural to
slack off at home. My advice to any of you reading this is… “Don’t
do that!!!!!!”
Then came the years of taxes….and taxes….and taxes. I have much to
say about this, but let this quote by scholar, Steven G. Galabresi,
suffice: “Income tax filing and payment day should be moved from
April 15th to November 1st as so it can be close to election day.
People ought to have their tax bills fresh in mind as they go to
vote.”
We have manuals for stereos, 8-tracks, cassettes, etc. for devices
we individually had before we even met each other. I did throw them
away but felt quite guilty in doing so. But I felt quite culpable in
doing so. Perhaps the 1970’s manual police will ascend and want
these precious instructions from years of yore.
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Still no “Power of Attorney” form.
“I suppose we all share this pipedream of being able to reach out a
hand and find anything at will; what is amazing is that we think
that good filing could somehow make it come true. On the contrary:
putting a letter into a filing system is like releasing your ferret
in the Hampton Court Maze.” Katherine Whitehorn.
Still digging through the seemingly
endless file folders, I find a treasure trove of cords. They are
charging cords for sure. Some are short, some are long, most are
black but there are different colors to make it thought-provoking. I
place them all in a basket planning on showing them to friends and
family as a game of “What is this whatchamacallit”? I’m afraid to
throw them out. My Mac obviously thought them important. Who am I to
challenge his wisdom?
Where IS that dang form?
One drawer is full of little giveaways that he collected from the
farm and truck shows that we attended over the years. It was like
uncovering the prizes in our old Cracker Jax boxes. I kept some,
threw some out, and pondered as to what some were. It was a great
break from hunting for “The Form”.
James Gleick, “A ‘file’ was originally….in 16th century England…. a
wire on which slips and bills and notes and letters could be strung
for preservations and reference. Then came file folders, file
drawers, and file cabinets; then came the electronic namesakes of
all these; and then the inevitable irony…. once a piece of
information is filed, it is statistically unlikely ever to be seen
by human eyes.”
Isn’t it amazing that for centuries people have thought the need to
file was so significant, so imperative that every generation tried
to better the original? All that to only receive the same outcome.
There’s a lesson in all that. Ponder that tonight as you try to fall
asleep.
I also had the great fun of finding
“Lightning McQueen” cars in the nooks and crannies. Being a McQueen,
my Mac had them all…. Doc, Mater, Sally, Hudson Hornet, etc. It was
great to pull them out knowing the enjoyment he got out of those
movies.
Finally!…..Tah! Dah!....Eureka!……the Power of Attorney form was in
my hands. I praised The Almighty and did the happy dance. God is
good.
It was a bit of a let down when the lost was found. No more
searching, no more surprises, no more memories popping out at me.
Heavy sigh.
Want your loved ones to remember you and evoke loving memories? Keep
a mixture of important papers, tokens, and keepsakes….then file them
away.
L. Maxine McQueen may be contacted at
maxmac.1@juno.com |
