Laundry

I was doing laundry this afternoon and it reminded me of Harry.

Harry loved to help me do laundry.

Up until a few weeks ago, when it got torn off as part of the massive home renovation we are currently enduring (!), our laundry machines were located in a little room at the back of our house off the kitchen, which Lydia and I called our, "Laundry Room / Play Room". It was about 10 x 10 and housed the washer and dryer, 2 toy storage cupboards, a children's set of table and 2 chairs, and a play carpet. This room was Lydia and Harry's playroom (one of 2 on the main floor, amazing how much of one's house gets devoted to our kids!).

Harry liked to stand in front of the washer door (front loader) and help me throw in the clothes. I can still see him standing there at my feet, holding onto the door frame with his right hand for balance and using his left hand to grab clothes out of the laundry basket and throw them into the washer. With each turn towards me to reach into the basket, he would give me a huge grin and laugh - it was such a fun game to him to see the clothes disappear into the washer. When the load was done, he liked to help pull the wet clothes out and then repeat the same process for putting them into the dryer.

I miss having Harry help me with laundry. I miss his grin and his laugh. And how much he just loved to play in this way, not knowing he was really being a great help. I miss these little things that we used to do together. Those special little moments in a day between a mother and her wee child, those precious moments of togetherness. I really miss those.

After Harry died, Lydia seemed to stop playing in the laundry room playroom. I don't know if it was just that the nature of her play has changed - being more into dolls and barbies - which are in her room, or if it is because of memories of playing with Harry so much in that space.

But it was interesting that she did comment to me the other day that, "Harry and I played in that room and did laundry there, but the new baby won't even know that our house had that room".

It is true, the new baby won't know what our house looked like before the renovations, or will only from pictures. He'll also only know his big brother from pictures. And from the stories I tell him. I will be sure to tell him how much his big brother liked to help me with laundry.

Love,
Cynthia