Shadows

Have you ever been in an old house and seen the shadows? Not the dark shadows in the corner of a creepy old house, but rather the shadows that appear in the noon sun. The place where the pictures hung, the wall that the bed rested against and where the bureau stood. I have seen it in several circumstances and wondered about the former inhabitants. Shadows left there either due to years of cigarette smoke, a wood burning stove or simply lack of dusting. Once the space has been cleared there is still an impression that is present where everything used to be.

Years ago, my husband and I toured a historic house in the Louisiana on River Road outside of New Orleans. The historians associated with Laura Plantation left several rooms empty for visitors to see the shadows left by the furniture. It created an eerie effect even in daylight and left the sightseer wondering about life within the house.

I am sure my grandmother’s house left some of the same impressions. She lived in that Lexington, Kentucky bungalow from the 1960s until 2003 or so when she moved in with my parents for the last two years of her life. Grandmama was a packrat. When she died I was already pregnant with my first child and not in much condition to help my mother sort through and pack up the house. We attended the funeral and shuffled though a few odds and ends, but really my help was minimal. I made one more trip after my first son’s birth to Kentucky. I was already pregnant with our second son so again not much help between tending to a baby and being told not the lift heavy things. My Granddaddy had a workshop in the basement that was very organized at one point with nails and screws sorted into baby jars that lined the shelves. He died way too young, nearly 20 years before her death and she didn’t have the energy or heart to do anything except pile stuff on top of more stuff within her house and in the basement. It took my mother about three years to clear out the house and it was like an archeological dig. I can’t even imagine the daunting task and all the shadows left behind.

One can only hope that when we do leave this place there is something of significance that loved ones can hold on to. Someone may move into your residence after you leave and wonder about you and all of your shadows.