Coat hangers

I am home today catching up on laundry, dirty bathrooms, changing sheets on the beds, vacuuming and general keeping the house stuff. This weekend my daughter asked for new coat hangers. We made the trip to Walmart and purchased several at $1.00 a bundle. She changed out the older ones and put them in the laundry room. As I am washing clothes today I am caught by the sight of these older hangers, these small hangers that were once holding smaller clothes. Her clothes are reaching adult sizes as she is becoming a young lady. I stop to remember. I can see the small cotton tops I purchased from Gap and coordinating colors for her brother to wear. I took great pride in people reconizing these two children belonged to each other. I remember the soft, cotton dresses she loved to wear to kindergarden with the matching socks. I can see them walking in school together side by side, and the occcasional glances she would give to her brother going through the door. I have always loved washing their clothes and hanging them up neatly in their closet to be worn. Mothers would talk about hating to do clothes and I have always, most always, cherished the opportunity to place the endless loads in the washer, with Tide, add my Snuggle fabric softner and retrieve the fresh clothes from the dryer. Silly? I must surely get a life, you may be thinking. Well, this is my life. Sooner than I care to realize they will be washing their clothes down the hall from their dorm room. They will have their Tide and Snuggle with their clothes hamper and clothes hangers. My daughter will fold each piece as neat as possible. Everything will be in order. My son will throw it all in, but will be sure to have that softner because he likes soft clothes. I smile as I look at my surplus of small hangers. I have no need for them anymore. I am the proud parent of two teenagers. I hear the rumble of my washer and dryer as I am writing this story and I think about the blessing of washing clothes. I never dreamed how much I could love a life that was given to us 15 and 13 years ago. I will remember the endless UnderArmour I have washed every night. I will chuckle at the funky clothes my daughter loved. I will smile as the socks grew larger with the foot. I will be touched by the blankie washed carefully to last. Laundry, coat hangers, Tide, Snuggle and my GE washer and dryer. Treasures.