under the bathroom sink

Despite the fact that I've bragged in the past about my campaign to de-clutter,

there are still untouched areas of the house needing attention.

Witness: under the "kids" bathroom sink.

It is jammed with stuff and since

Katie's home this week, she took a stab at it.

It's outrageous what was lurking there ...

bath toys,

old sheets I used to spread on the floor during boys' haircuts,

the instruction booklet from the hair trimming kit

(not sure which son took the kit),

lice shampoo (only a year old, a precautionary purchase when Katie went to Paraguay),

at least 10 bottles of shampoo, conditioner, suntan and body lotions,

cotton balls by the hundreds,

travel-size plastic bottles,

Sun In,

Dixie cups,

and hair brushes and soaps of every description.

Someday when we move,

 all the cabinets, drawers and closets

will be stripped of every trace of our years in this house.

I imagine it will be a clean and liberating experience.

But for now, as we sort occasionally,

we rerun in our minds the memories of family life ...

the buzz haircuts, bath nights, and packing for summer camp;

freshly-bathed little boys and a pig-tailed little girl.

And though we welcome new seasons and new grandchildren,

each memory is packed away with a tinge of sadness.