The Empty High Chair

An empty high chair sat in the corner of our kitchen for about a month without use. It had served our family well and we were done with it so I took a quick photo, posted it online and sold it to a nice young couple with a new baby. I didn’t pause to think anything of it and was very proud of being able to find it a new home without having to tote it in the basement and pack it up out of site for who knows how long. 

Later that night, as the kids were all in bed asleep and I resumed my mom chores in the kitchen.  I looked over at the spot where the empty high chair sat just earlier that day and it hit me … what looked like an empty high chair seemed to represent the passing of time. I suddenly thought of what a BIG DEAL it was when we finally put it together for my son to use seven years ago. How we sat his tiny body up in this giant chair and played with Bert and Ernie dolls as I struggled to poke smashed sweet potatoes in his mouth. I thought about how it had traveled from our old townhouse packed in bags and Rubbermaid, to our current home with hopes of using it again someday on kid number two. I remembered my daughter sitting up at the table with the family for the first time and what a thrill it was to have a family of four together at the dinner table.  I also remembered how she would eat and fall asleep in the chair while we were still eating lunch. 

Time keeps moving forward, new challenges and new rewards. The high chair definitely didn’t realize that it carried with it so many triumphs and memories, but I did. As a mom you often find yourself rushing from project to project and place to place, collecting these memories as you go. Often a simple object can offer great reflection on how far you have come. What appeared as an empty high chair, for me turned out to be a reminder of both my kids when they were little, and as they grow up it isn’t lost on me that these memories will shift to new places in time.  And I must continue to remember that even though the day to day is so very important, entire lives are made up of those day to days. Past - Present- & Future... don't forget to appreciate it all.  

I sure hope its new family grows great appreciation for it and all it holds, as with all baby cloths, toys and swings that have found their way to the next kid/home.