Wait, Are You Sure???????

“Wait, Are You Sure??????” The words didn’t come out of my mouth, but they were clear in my head, loud, strong, urgent and mournful. My son was doing a pass clearing his room, and the most prominent item in his “Donate” box was the set of huge, solid, magnificent wooden blocks that were the first toy I bought him for our new apartment after my divorce. They were waiting for him when we moved in, maybe even before I was able to show him the place – it’s so long ago I don’t remember. I do remember playing with him with them, building railroad bridges and highway tunnels and the biggest dominoes chains EVER.

I think he saw my sorrow, just a second, even though I tried to hide it. He hesitated, then kept going. And I didn’t say anything: second-guessing someone else’s decisions about their things is intensely disrespectful and destructive. And they WERE his things: gifts belong to the giftee, not the giver, and are the giftee’s to do with as s/he/they will. And we got them to one of our favorite charities, Bella’s Voice of Lynnwood, WA which raises funds for animal shelters.

But I wish…